Barbastelle

Drawing of Mopsfledermäusen

The Barbastelle ( Barbastella barbastellus ), illustrative, also called Western Barbastelle, belongs within the bats of the Myotis bats and is easily distinguished from other European species.

Features

The size is 4.5 to 5.8 inches with a wingspan 26-29 inches with a weight of 6 to 13 grams. It got its name from the mopsartige snout. Their fur and wing membranes are almost black, the belly are dark gray. The ears are wide and grown together at the base. The well-known maximum age is 18 years.

Diet and hunting behavior

She has a narrow cleft and feeds on small insects so as beetles, moths and mosquitoes, which it hunts in forests or near forests. In the early evening they go on their raids and hunted their prey with echolocation sounds between 30 and 35 kHz in the height of treetops or close to the tune of " trees ". Unlike other bats her ringing frequency is not often, which is why it is described as so-called "silent type ". However, it may very well be observed in the fast hunting along the edge structures in frequently call rate. As part of a PhD ( Dr. Volker Runkel) individuals of the Barbastelle were observed almost exclusively at the edge of the forest and along forest paths. There they flew along with up to 10 m / s. The high velocity may explain the erroneous designation as mute Art in crown height no barbastelle were determined in the same area during a two- year investigation on the suitability of forests in Northern Bavaria.

Resting Places

The summer roosts and nurseries, which comprise about 15 to 20 females, are usually found in the forest or near a forest. There they lived in columns and on adjacent buildings or trees in the woods. The quarters are regularly, sometimes daily, with clean. It is a very cold- resistant animal and draws its winter quarters until heavy frost. Then they occupied the entrances of underground spaces, such as tunnels, vaults and cellars from two to five degrees. The short hibernation takes place from November to early March.

Reproductive health and birth

Between June and July, one or two young are born.

Dissemination

It occurs in Europe and in the Mediterranean. In Germany North Rhine -Westphalia, Hesse and Thuringia were mainly in Bavaria, found small colonies and individual animals. 2004, a population was discovered in the Hunsrück near the airport Hahn. In other areas it is true, due to lack of finds, thought to be extinct. According to Free Press on April 12, 2007, the Barbastelle is located in the area Vorerzgebirge. In Baden- Württemberg, she was discovered in the tunnels Sauschwänzlebahn why the operation of the train was stopped by the conservation authority of the Schwarzwald- Baar -Kreis in December 2013.

Threat

By quarter losses and in buildings it is more dependent on the forest. Other threats are insecticides and habitat changes. Finds of this bat are very rare, so it is on the Red List of Threatened Species, the IUCN lists them as vulnerable ( vulnerable ).