When you hear the word bat do you think of the word bloodsucker and you want to hide your neck?  Well this harmless bat does not do that.  This bat’s name is Eptesicus serotinus and when you look at pictures of the bat it may look small, but in reality it is the largest bat and weighs the same as a large mouse. It has long fur, the back is smoky brown in color and the belly is a pale yellowish brown.  You are able to identify the Serotine bat in flight by its broad wings and slow, highly maneuverable flapping flight interspersed with brief glides.  This bat comes from Britain and Europe.  The name Eptesicus serotinus means common bat of Europe.

 

The habitat of the Serotine bat occurs mainly where there are human settlements.  The man-made roosting sites have become their habitat, it is now only rarely found in natural sites.  During the winter they typically stay in the same building to hibernate as they did during the summer when they roost in buildings that have high cavity walls.  The Serotine bat is located south  Wales and The Wash, it is abundant in Dorset and Sussex.

 

In Britain, it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, posses a live bat or part of a bat, take or sell a bat, to intentionally obstruct or destroy access to bat roosts.  They are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.  It is an offense to destroy or damage resting places or breeding sites.  Fines and  six months imprisonment are in place for these offenses. 

 

The Eptesicus serotinus can live up to be 19 years old. The mating season starts in August but its duration is unknown.  Maternity colonies begin to form in May and a single young is produced.  By the third week of life the young bat is able to fly and around five weeks it is able to look for food on its own. They are insectivores, and hunt for flies, moths and dung beetles.  They hunt at night and makes these sounds like cries which can only be heard on recorders and devices.  The bats make these sound based on their environment and activities. What makes it better is that they are not blind. They don’t hunt or go anywhere alone, they always stay in a group.

 

So as you can see, bats aren’t really that scary. They are really nice and timid creatures and they will not suck your blood. There are many interesting and fun facts that you can learn about from the Eptesicus serotinus bat.  I enjoyed researching the Eptesicus serotinus bat.

 

Author: Candra E.

Date Published: 1/30/11

 

Sources:

http://www.arkive.org/serotine-bat/eptesicus-serotinus

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotine_bat

Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Harold J. Blum, page 594

Photo credit: Google images