One of the 29 bats on WAnimals
Mammals · Chiroptera · Vespertilionidae
Greater Mouse-eared Bat
Myotis myotis
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
Unlike most bats it hunts chiefly by listening for the footsteps of its prey on the forest floor rather than relying on echolocation in flight.
Weight
20 g – 45 g
Size
6.5 cm – 9 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It hunts by listening for the footsteps of its prey on the ground rather than by echolocation.
- One individual holds the highest documented longevity of any European bat: 37.1 years.
- It roosts in caves, mines, churches and large attics in karst country.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Deciduous woodland and karst country across much of Europe, roosting in caves, mines, churches and large attics
- Birth weight
- Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- The young naked and helpless at birth, clinging to its mother for the first 2 weeks
- Sexual maturity
- 3 months to over a year depending on the study (the sources differ markedly)
- Gestation / incubation
- 60-70 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young per litter
Sources consulted: People's Trust for Endangered Species; ResearchGate (Bat of the Year fact sheet); AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); CESON fact sheet; Picture Nature; Animal Diversity Web; Wikipedia (Greater mouse-eared bat)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From May to August, when it occupies breeding colonies in caves and lofts; from November to March it hibernates in underground cavities.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 139 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Greater Mouse-eared Bat — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Serotine
Eptesicus serotinus
Common Pipistrelle
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Common Noctule
Nyctalus noctula
Western Barbastelle
Barbastella barbastellus
Natterer's Bat
Myotis nattereri
Bechstein's Bat
Myotis bechsteinii
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