Whiskered bat

Description

With a snout-vent length of about four cm, a wingspan of about 20 cm and a forearm length of 32 to 36.5 mm, the whiskered bat is one of the smallest European myotis species. Adults weight four to seven g. Whiskered bats are darkly coloured, especially on the face, the fur is nut-brown to grey-brown on the upperpart, the underparts are grey. The ears, snout and patagium are blackish brown. Overall, the whiskered bat looks very similar to the Brandt's bat, the Alcathoe's bat and the steppe whiskered bat.

Habitat

The whiskered bat is not as dependent on water bodies and forests as its larger relative, the Brandt's bat. It also occurs in semi-open to open landscapes as well as in villages. Summer habitats are found both in buildings and in other crevices, such as behind tree bark. Winter habitats are mainly in caves, tunnels and cellars. The whiskered bat usually hunts structurally at forest edges or along other vegetation. More open landscapes such as orchards or water bodies are also used for hunting.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleine_Bartfledermaus). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 18 August 2021