The diets of two high‐flying bats from Africa

The diets of two fast‐flying, aerial‐hawking bats from north‐east Africa (Ethiopia) were investigated by means of faecal analysis. Otomops martiensseni (Molossidae; c. 35 g body mass), which is remarkably specialized morphologically with very long, narrow wings and large ears, and which uses low frequency echolocation (10kHz), feeds almost exclusively (97% by volume) on moths, mostly of large species. The smaller (20 g) Taphozous perforatus (Emballonuridae) also has long, narrow wings but short ears and is less morphologically extreme than Otomops. It feeds on moths (56%), but also on many other insect groups such as Isoptera (14%). Coleoptera (10o%), Orthoptera (8%), as well as Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Otomops martiensseni, in particular, appears to be a highly specialized moth predator.