Welcome to The Bat Cave
Barbastelle Bat Barbastella barbastellus	Serotine Bat Epstesicus serotinus	Bechstein's Bat Myotis bechsteinii	Brandt's Bat Myotis brandtii	Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentonii

Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinos	Natterer's Bat Myotis nattereri	Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri	Noctule Bat Nyctalus noctula	Pipistrelle Bat Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus	Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum	Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros	Bats worldwide Bats in Britain Bats in Wales Bat conservation Bat links

Each image links to a page containing larger pictures, indentification guides and details of food and habitat requirements for each of the bat species shown here.

Bats worldwide

Bats belong to the order Chiroptera, which means 'hand-winged'. (The tiny bones that support the wing membranes are similar in structure to the bones in our own hands.) There are known to be around 900 species of bats in the world; however, only about fifteen of these occur in Britain.

Bats in Britain

The majority of our bat species are either endangered or actually threatened by extinction. This threat is very real: the mouse-eared bat was declared extinct from Britain in 1991. Habitat loss and in some instances persecution born of human ignorance about the true nature of bats are major causes of the bat decline in Britain; farm and garden insecticides are almost certainly another key factor.

Bats in Wales

In Wales, we do not have vampire bats, and there are no giant fruit bats with 1.5 metre wingspan. What we do have are several species of insect-eating bats. A tiny pipistrelle bat can consume up to 3000 insects per night - and most of these are mosquitoes or tiny midges. In so doing there is no doubt they make the world a more hospitable place for the rest of us!

Apart from birds, bats are the only vertebrates capable of sustained flight. They are extremely manoeuvrable, even at low speed, which makes them very effective insect predators. Although they are not blind, as some people may believe, insectivorous bats use echolocation to avoid obstructions when flying in the dark and to find their way to and from their roosts, and to home in on their prey.

The kinds of bats you will find in Wales are essentially nocturnal. They become torpid in winter, hibernating in roof spaces, hollow trees and dark caves. Hibernation is a useful characteristic since insect numbers are much reduced during the winter months.

Bats usually have just a single offspring each year, and depending on species they can live for up to 20 and exceptionally 30 years.

Species	Distribution	Abundance
Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)	Widespread	Very common
Brown long-eared (Plecotus auritus)	Widespread	Very common
Greater horseshoe (Rhinolophos ferrumequinon)	Localised	Rare
Daubenton's (Myotis daubentonii)	Widespread	Common
Lesser horseshoe (Rhinolophos hipposideros)	Localised	Rare
Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)	Widespread	Common
Brandt's (Myotis brantii)	Widespread	Common
Whiskered (Myotis mystacinus)	Widespread	Frequent
Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus)	Widespread	Rare
Bechstein's (Myotis bechsteinii)	Localised	Very rare
Natterer's (Myotis nattereri)	Widespread	Common
Leisler's (Nyctalus leisleri)	Widespread	Rare
Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus)	Localised	Common

Protection for Bats

All species of bats are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal intentionally to kill, injure or take any bat, to disturb roosting bats, or to damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place used by bats for roosting.

Bat links