Small mammals of Oramanat region in Kermanshah Province

The Hawraman or Oramanat region, is a mountainous area in the Zagros mountain range, located between the Iranian plateau and the Mesopotamian plain, includes parts of the Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces in Iran, as well as a small portion of Iraqi Kurdistan. In Kermanshah province, Oramanat includes four counties: Paveh, Javanrud, Ravansar, and Salasebabajani, covering approximately 18 percent of the province's total area. The biodiversity of each region holds global significance, and the Oramanat, due to its unique geographical position, is considered one of the key regions in terms of biodiversity. This study aims to examine the small mammal fauna of this region in Kermanshah province. Data for this study were collected from published sources, online databases, and through two years of field surveys. In the present study, eight and five species of bats and rodents were reported, respectively. The bats include the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), lesser horseshoe bat (R. hipposideros), and Mehely's horseshoe bat (R. mehelyi) from the family Rhinolophidae; the lesser mouse-eared bat (Myotis blythi), long-fingered bat (M. capaccinii), and Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) from the family Vespertilionidae; the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) from the family Rhinopomatidae; and the bent-winged bat (Miniopterus pallidus) from the family Miniopteridae. The rodents belong to the families Sciuridae with the Iranian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus); the family Cricetidae with the gray dwarf hamster or migratory hamster (Cricetulus migratorius); and the family Muridae with three species of steppe field mice (Apodemus witherbyi), Persian jird (Meriones persicus), and house mouse (Mus musculus).