Favoritos de cystops

Animal track, bird skull, American Crow with dimensions. Found dead in a wooded area. Carcass measured 44 cm. long. No evidence of predation, bird might have been poisoned. Large cranium and heavy beak present. Taphonomy by burial in soil then hydrogen peroxide-water soak and remnant soft tissue dissected off.

Early morning in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera Temple Complex, ascended the west staircase which winds around in a spiral to the roof and is dimly lit save for small window openings. This bat was on the wall and initially disturbed by me and flew out of sight further up the staircase. I followed and found it again resting on a scarab-shaped relief, where it remained as I carefully photographed it closer and closer. It flew off again descending the staircase and I was able to locate it on the main floor of the temple in a very dark, deep crack in the wall. I took a few more photos and it seemed rather irritated with me pursuing it so intently, so I finally left it alone. Its photo was included in the publication "Egypt’s Flora & Fauna; An AUC Press Nature Foldout" by American University in Cairo Press, with author Dominique Navarro and Scientific Consultant Richard Hoath, whose book "Mammals of Egypt" I used to identify this small, long-tailed bat.