Common long-eared bat
The brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus ) is a small Eurasian insectivorous bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It is extremely similar to the much rarer grey long-eared bat which was only validated as a distinct species in the 1960s. An adult brown long-eared bat has a body length of 4.5–4.8 cm, a tail of 4.1–4.6 cm, and a forearm length of 4–4.2 cm. The ears are 3.3–3.9 cm in length, and readily distinguish the long-eared bats from most other bat species. They are relatively slow flyers compared to other bat species.
The Brown long-eared bat is a small insectivorous bat found in Europe and Asia. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It is extremely similar to the much rarer Grey long-eared bat which was only validated as a distinct species in the 1960s. The ears of these bats are 3.3-3.9 cm (1.3-1.5 in) in length, and readily distinguish them from most other bat species. They are relatively slow flyers compared to other bat species.
Brown long-eared bats occur throughout Europe, with the exception of Greece, southern Italy, and southern Spain. They are found to the east up to the Urals and Caucasus. These bats regularly roost in undisturbed roof spaces of buildings, in crevices and timber, or around chimneys and ridge ends. They also roost in treeholes, but prefer boxes and caves as winter hibernation sites.
Brown long-eared bats are social creatures; they breed and roost in groups, but sometimes may roost singly as well. They emerge from roost sites usually only in the dark, around an hour after sunset. This is the time when they hunt for prey. Prey is probably detected by sight and sound using the large eyes and ears, not by echolocation. Brown long-eared bats have relatively large eyes and ears and it is likely that visual information and passive listening allow them to detect prey in cluttered environments. However, unlike most bats, Long-eared can hunt their prey by hearing alone. Their hearing is sensitive enough to hear a moth in flight. This hunting strategy evolved because prey items, namely certain moth species evolved the ability to hear the echolocation and escape the bats. Brown long-eared bats usually hibernate between November and April.
Brown long-eared bats are carnivores (insectivores). They eat mostly moths, but their diet also consists of earwigs, flies, and beetles, gleaning these insects from leaves and bark.
Brown long-eared bats have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system; this means that both the males and the females of this species have multiple partners. Their breeding season takes place in autumn but females can delay their pregnancies until spring when they gather in maternity roosts. Maternity groups can contain up to 30 pregnant females and males may also join these roosts with their partners. Each female gives birth to a single pup. The young are born between late June and July. They are pink and hairless at birth and feed on their mothers' milk until they are three weeks old. At 6 weeks of age, the young become independent and become reproductively mature when they are between 12 and 15 months old.
The main threats to this species include loss of habitat, pesticides, disturbances during hibernation or at maternity roosts, collisions with vehicles, and climate factors such as droughts and extreme temperatures.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Brown long-eared bat total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
