Parti-coloured bat
Encyclopedia
The Parti-coloured Bat or Rearmouse (Vespertilio murinus) is a species of bat
s in the family of Vesper bat
s. It is a medium sized bat.
The highest known age is twelve years.
es, caddis flies, and moth
s, with ultrasonic sound of around 25-27 kHz. They hunt after twilight at heights of above 10 to 20 meters, for example in open landscape over streams and lakes and above forests or at street lights. In cold weather the bat may remain in its resting place.
There is not much known about the behaviour of parti-coloured bats, as they are quite rare. Female bats live in small groups, of about 50 animals, sometimes up to several hundred adult females. In Western Europe, male groups consist of about 250 animals and are found only during the spring and early summer. These bats migrate, and flights of up to 900 km were found. The furthest migration was determined at 1440 km in the year 1989.
Between October and March, the bats hibernate
. They hibernate alone, and can bear temperatures down to -2.6 degrees Celsius.
and in Asia
. Its natural habitat is mountains, steppe
s and forested areas, but in Western Europe, they can mainly be found in cities. The species is protected, as it is threatened by insecticide
s and changes in their habitat.
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s in the family of Vesper bat
Vesper bat
Vesper bats , also known as Evening bats or Common bats, are the largest and best-known family of bats. They belong to the suborder Microchiroptera . There are over three hundred species distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica...
s. It is a medium sized bat.
Description
Their twittering call, similar to a bird's call, are to be heard particularly in the autumn during the mating season. The parti-coloured bat has a maximum body size of 6.4 centimetres with a span from 27 to 33 centimetres, and a weight between 12 and 23 gram. Its name is derived from its fur, which has two colours. Its backside is red to dark-brown, with silver-white-frosted hair. The ventral side is white or grey. The ears, wings and the face are black or dark brown. The wings are narrow. The ears are short, broad and roundish.The highest known age is twelve years.
Behaviour
These bats hunt for their prey, for example mosquitoMosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es, caddis flies, and moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s, with ultrasonic sound of around 25-27 kHz. They hunt after twilight at heights of above 10 to 20 meters, for example in open landscape over streams and lakes and above forests or at street lights. In cold weather the bat may remain in its resting place.
There is not much known about the behaviour of parti-coloured bats, as they are quite rare. Female bats live in small groups, of about 50 animals, sometimes up to several hundred adult females. In Western Europe, male groups consist of about 250 animals and are found only during the spring and early summer. These bats migrate, and flights of up to 900 km were found. The furthest migration was determined at 1440 km in the year 1989.
Between October and March, the bats hibernate
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
. They hibernate alone, and can bear temperatures down to -2.6 degrees Celsius.
Reproduction and birth
Females form maternity roosts during May and July and generally give birth to twins. After the pups are weaned females leave the maternity roost. Birth of the young is in western Europe around beginning of June. First juveniles can be found flying as early as 3-4 weeks later.Occurrence
The parti-coloured bat occurs in Central and Western EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Its natural habitat is mountains, steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s and forested areas, but in Western Europe, they can mainly be found in cities. The species is protected, as it is threatened by insecticide
Insecticide
An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
s and changes in their habitat.