Gray long-eared bat

Description

The gray long-eared bat reaches an average snout-vent length of 41 to 58 mm, maximum lengths of up to 60 mm can occur. The tail is 37 to 55, maximum 57 mm long, and the wingspan is 255 to 292 mm. Like other long-eared bats, the particularly pronounced ears stand out, reaching lengths of 31 to 41 mm and showing about 22 to 24 transverse folds. The body weight is 5 to 13 g.

In appearance and size, the gray long-eared bat resembles the brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), but the colour of the relatively long coat is slate-grey at the base of the hair, so that the upperparts are rather grey and only rarely show a slight brownish tinge. The underparts are also grey. The grey mask around the relatively large eyes is striking, and the animal's snout is also slightly longer and more pointed. Other differences are found in less conspicuous features such as the shorter toe fur, the thickened end of the penis and the length of the penis.

As in the brown long-eared bat, the wings are relatively broad and the arm patagium attaches to the base of the toes. 

Habitat

During the summer, bats stay in their summer habitats or nursery roosts, which are usually located in buildings. They are mainly found in roofs, where they sometimes live freely in the roof ridge or crevices or spaces between beams. The roosts are sometimes also inhabited by other species, such as the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) or the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Individuals are also found in caves and rarely in bat boxes. Summer habitats serve as a starting point for hunting and as a resting place during the day.

The gray long-eared bat hunts during the night. The departure from the summer habitat takes place with the onset of darkness. Prey is caught mainly in the open air, and long-eared bats are considered to be skilful flyers with fluttering flight. They fly at speeds of 10 to 30 km/h and at heights of between 0.5 and 10 m. They also collect prey from the ground. In addition, they also collect prey from leaves, which they can detect with the ultrasonic system.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graues_Langohr). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 17 August 2021