2016

Plecotus auritus

BROWN LONG-EARED BAT

Bats are the only mammals adapted for flight. Of the more than 1,200 bat species found worldwide, 16 have been recorded in Latvia. These animals reproduce slowly – bats give birth to only one or two offspring per year, making the survival of each individual colony or even individual crucial.

This year’s hero – the brown long-eared bat (commonly known as the long-eared bat) – is still considered one of the most common bat species in Latvia. However, surveys of hibernation sites indicate a decline in their numbers over the past 25 years.

Plecotus Auritus

Bats are the only mammals adapted for flight. Since bats give birth to only 1-2 offspring per year, the survival of each individual colony or even individual is crucial. Bats are also conservative animals, using the same roosts and specific landscape features for generations during their flights to feeding grounds and migration. These animals are highly sensitive to changes in their environment.

The brown long-eared bat is closely adapted to humans. Tens of thousands of long-eared bats hibernate in the cellars of private homes, often unbeknownst to the homeowners. In the summer, some long-eared bats also use human-built structures – such as attics or gaps in walls – as roosting and breeding sites, remaining unnoticed as they do not form large, noisy colonies. Surveys of hibernation sites indicate a slow but steady decline in the number of long-eared bats over the past 24 years, suggesting that human-induced changes are currently occurring faster than this animal which closely associates with human activity, can adapt.

Released:
20/06/2016

Lūznava Manor Park, Pils iela 8, Lūznava, Rēzekne Municipality
Zaļenieki Manor Park, Zaļenieki, Jelgava Municipality

DIRECTOR Roberts Rubīns
SCENOGRAPHY Didzis Jaunzems
MUSIC Ingus Ulmanis, Andris Sējāns, Kaspars Tobis, Reinis Sējāns, Aigars Voitišķis, Anrijs Grinbergs
SCIENCE Dr.biol. Voldemārs Spuņģis