Daubenton's bat
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| Myotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817) |
Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.
The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton.
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[edit] Description
Daubenton's bat is a medium sized to small species. The bat's fluffy fur is brownish grey on the back and silvery grey on the underside. Juveniles have darker fur than adults. The bats have reddish pink faces and noses, but the area around the eyes is bare. When the bat is agitated, the ears are held at right angles.
Daubenton's bats are typically 45 to 55 mm long, with an average wingspan of 240 to 275 mm. Most Daubenton's bats weigh between 7 and 15 grams.
[edit] Habitat
The Daubenton's bat is found throughout Britain, Europe, and as far as Japan and Korea. The bat is mostly found in woodlands and always chooses roosts close to water sources such as rivers or canals.
Summer colonies are formed in underground caves, tunnels, cellars, mines, and underneath bridges. These colonies are also always near water. Daubenton's bats also hibernate in the same type of locations from September to late March or April.
[edit] Hunting and diet
Daubenton's bats are insectivorous and use echolocation to find prey and orientate themselves at night. Bats emit sounds too high in frequency for humans to detect and interpret the echoes created to build a "sound picture" of their surroundings. Daubenton's bats emit echolocation calls of frequencies between 35 and 85 kHz, though typical calls peak at 45 to 50 kHz.
The bats emerge at twilight to hunt for insects over the water. Their main diet consists of small flies, midges, mayflies, and moths. Daubenton's bats often eat their prey while still in flight. A seven gram Daubenton's bat often returns weighing 11 grams after a one hour feeding, increasing its body weight by 57%.
[edit] Breeding
Mating occurs in autumn and fertilisation takes place the following spring. Females gather in maternity colonies of 40 to 80 bats during the summer months. Daubenton's bats are able to fly three weeks after birth and reach independence at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
[edit] Conservation
All bats in Britain are protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. The bats are also protected by the Conservation Regulations of 1994.
Daubenton's bats are an endangered species in Germany and Austria.
[edit] References
- Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996). Myotis daubentonii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006.
