Pond bat

Pond bat (Myotis dasycneme )

The pond bat (Myotis dasycneme ) belongs to the family of bats within the Myotis bats.

Features

With a size between 5.7 cm and 6.7 cm, a wingspan of 20 cm to 30 cm and a weight of 14 g to 20 g of the pond bat is one of the medium to large European bat species. The back coat color is medium to dark gray-brown. The peritoneum is clearly separated from the back fur and white-gray to yellow- gray. Note the relatively large hairy feet with long bristles and short haired reddish-brown face with this bat. The tragus ( ear covers) of the pond bat is much shorter than half the length of the ear. The pond bat looks similar to very Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii ) and, since it resembles her in her habit, difficult to distinguish from it. The pond bat is considerably larger than the water bat and can be distinguished by measuring, for example, the forearm length from her. The forearm length is in the pond bat 43 mm to 49 mm, in the water bat contrast, only 34 mm to 42 mm. For a reliable species identification by measuring the forearm length, therefore, a catch of the animals is necessary. In a direct comparison is due to the size difference, the kind based on the habitus sure determinable, so that the animals do not need to be touched during inspections in winter quarters, to determine the type.

Diet and hunting behavior

The pond bat hunts mainly on larger bodies of water such as lakes or rivers in the rectilinear and rapid flight midges, caddis flies and other insects that live in and around the water. Similar to the water bat reads the pond bat on insects from the water surface. In addition, beetles and butterflies are captured by the pond bat. In general, the pond bat is found on larger bodies of water as the water bat that hunts and over streams and other smaller bodies of water.

Resting Places

The pond bat preferably an abundance of water areas of the lowlands in the accommodation search. The summer roosts and maternity roosts are located in attics and there often in the ridge area. But boardings or hollow walls of single family homes are assumed to be quarters. There are known roosts of up to 500 females. The males spend the summer as a loner.

Pond bats looking to underground cavities such as natural caves, cellars, bunkers, tunnels or shafts as winter quarters. The preferred temperature range is between 0.5 and 7.5 ° C. The pond bats migrate from the summer to winter quarters between 100 and 300 kilometers. Many of the underground quarters of the pond bat found in caves in the central mountain edges, as they are relatively close to the lowlands, the summer circulation area. The largest known wintering grounds is the bathroom Segeberger limestone cave (50).

Dissemination

In Europe, the distribution area of ​​the pond bat of Northeast France extends across the northern part of Central Europe to Eastern Europe. It lies between the 48th and 60th degree of latitude. In Germany the species is relatively rare and has been detected in the summer only in the federal states of Mecklenburg -Western Pomerania, North Rhine -Westphalia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Lower Saxony and Schleswig -Holstein. In Austria it was first detected in 2010 in Lower Austria.

Threat

The pond bat is under protection. Endangered this species is due to large draining of wetlands but especially this kind, as well as other bat species by the loss of summer roosts and maternity roosts by building renovations will be affected where provided for absolute tightness of the building in terms of energy saving. Also the closing of the approach opportunities in traditional winter quarters and disturbances in hibernation represent a hazard

The IUCN classifies the pond bat as a " Near Threatened " ( near threatened ).