| Greater
mouse-eared bat
(Myotis myotis)
The biggest native bat weighs about 30 g.
Nursery colonies may consist of a large number of individuals and can
usually be found in the belfries of churches and attics of big buildings.
In some parts of Germany, especially in the south, colonies of up to
several hundred females are found. Only males live in tree roosts in
forests during the summer, but for hunting all animals fly into forests,
where they spent about 75 % of their foraging time. |
||
 |
This shows the need for extended forests as feeding grounds in the vicinity of nursery colonies. To be suitable for the greater mouse-eared bat a forest should have a partly open floor where the bats can best hunt for their main prey, ground beetles. Forests like great halls accommodate the bats’ requirements best: free airspace above ground to support a slow search flight and scattered leaf litter, which causes the moving ground beetles to make a rustling noise. Only occasionally have greater mouse-eared bats been found in tree holes during hibernation. | |