British Bats
Greater-mouse Eared Bat Myotis myotis
| BAT STATS Head-Body Length- 6.5-8cm Weight- 20-40g Wingspan- 30-40cm Tail Length- 4.5-6cm |
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DESCRIPTION- The Greater Mouse-Eared Bat is the largest British species of bat. The coat is short and dense being a grey brown on the back, and paler on the underparts. The face is bare and a pink colour. The ears are light in colour and long and broad. The tragus is long, being broad at the bottom but becoming narrower near its tips. The size of the Greater Mouse-Eared Bat is not only due to its large wingspan; its body is relatively large, being about the size of a cigarette packet. The wings are large and broad and grey in colour. Its flight is slow but strong.
DISTRIBUTION- The Greater Mouse-Eared Bat prefers warmer climates and is commonest in southern and central Europe. It also occurs in Northern Europe in lesser numbers, but populations have declined here over the previous few decades. Outside of Europe it is also found in North Africa, Asia Minor and parts of western Asia. In Britain it has a precarious toehold in the Southeast with only a single colony being known of. Its decline in northern Europe may be due to habitat changes.
HABITAT- A bat of open woodland and parkland. In the south of Europe it will inhabit caves in the summer months, but further north it lives in warm attics, towers and cellars. It hibernates in caves, mines or cellars with a temperature of between 7 and 12 centigrade. In the hibernacula between 100 and 1000 bats will gather.
BEHAVIOUR- The Greater Mouse-Eared Bat prefers rather open landscapes where it can hunt easily. It emerges after sunset and hunts in meadows and fields, gardens and woodland margins. Sometimes it is a migrant, travelling up to 100km to find suitable hibernating conditions. It hibernates between October and March. The Greater Mouse-Eared Bat will regularly commute 20km to reach their hunting areas from their roosts. Throughout the 1970s the population of Greater Mouse-Eared Bats in Europe fell sharply, probably due to habitat loss and the uses of pesticide. The loss of a single roost can lead to the extinction of the bat from a large local area. Recently the population has slowly recovered, partly due to better conservation measures.
LIFESPAN- average of 5 years. The maximum is 20 years.
BREEDING- Males have a small harem of up to 5 females who will visit his territory in Autumn. The females give birth to a single young in maternity roosts in June or July each year. The young grow quickly and can fly after only 5 or 6 weeks. The maternity colonies can contain up to 2000 individuals. The young weigh about 6 g at birth.