Number and trend of its change. Brandt's bat • Red Book of the Ryazan region Habitats and biology
The species is distributed from England and Eastern Spain to the Far East, Japan and Korea. In Russia - in the middle and northern zone of the European part, in the Urals, in the southern and middle zone of Siberia and the Far East. There is an isolated habitat in the Caucasus (1, 2). The first find of the species in the former Ranneburg region (now Lipetsk region) dates back to 1916 (collection of S. Turov) and is stored in the ZM of Moscow State University (2). It is likely that the report of the discovery of 9 individuals mustachioed bat, caught in the Zapolsky forestry of the Korablinsky district in May-June 1967, also refers to Brandt’s bat (3). In October 1973, a male of the species (4) was caught at the administration of the Oksky Nature Reserve. There is no data on the number.
Habitats and biology
Brandt's bat lives in forest landscapes, preferring plains rich in water bodies (5). In central Russia it appears in summer shelters by mid-April. Shelters are located in tree hollows and human buildings. Feeding mass species Diptera, stoneflies, mayflies, caddisflies, small species of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera (6). Females give birth to one cub. Possibly winters in the region.
Limiting factors and threats
The limiting factors may be the lack of natural shelters and human intolerance to animal settlements in his buildings.
Security measures taken and required
In the Ryazan region, Brandt's bat has been under protection since 1977 (7). The habitats of the species are protected on the territory of the Oksky Nature Reserve. Konobeevskaya Cave has been declared a natural monument of regional significance. It is necessary to organize special studies of wintering bats in a cave near the village Polnoe Konobeevo (Shatsky district), as well as conduct special thorough research to identify the habitats of the species in the region and their protection.
Brandt's bat - Myotis brandtii Eversmann, 1845
Order Chiroptera - Chiroptera
Family Smooth-nosed bats - Vespertilionidae
Category, status. 4 - uncertain status, not numerous species. Included in the Red Books Leningrad region, Republic of Belarus, Estonia, Latvia. It is protected by the Berne Convention (Annex II). Guarded in Western Europe, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic republics under the 1991 Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS).
Short description. Small bat. Body length 38-55 mm. Forearm length 33-39 mm, wingspan 19-24 cm. The color of the back is dark, brownish-brown. The underparts are grayish tones. The fur is thick and long. The ears and membranes are dark brown, almost black. The epibleme is not developed. The wing membrane is attached to the base of the outer toe. By external signs difficult to distinguish from the mustachioed bat.
Area and distribution. Distributed in Europe, in the south of Siberia to the Okhotsk coast, in Primorye, Japan, Korea, and Sakhalin. Inhabits mainly mixed and deciduous forests; along river floodplains it penetrates into the taiga and steppe (1).
In the Pskov region it is known for most districts (2, 3, 4).
Habitats and ecological features. Linked to forest areas. It settles in tree hollows, behind loose bark, and in human buildings. Departure late, active all night. It occurs singly or forms small colonies of 10-15 individuals. It feeds over forest roads, park alleys, over ponds, clearings, and on the edges of forests. The flight is uneven and maneuverable. Mating after the end of lactation or during wintering. At the end of June - beginning of July, the female gives birth to one cub. A sedentary species that does not migrate long distances. It overwinters, like other bats, in various underground shelters, where the temperature does not fall below 0 °C and high relative humidity is maintained.
Species abundance and limiting factors. There are no long-term observations of the distribution and condition of the population. In the neighboring Leningrad region, a decrease in numbers in wintering grounds is observed. Limiting factors include: low reproductive capacity, deforestation, disturbance in the areas where brood colonies are located and wintering areas.
Security measures. Organization of specially protected natural areas in areas where brood colonies are located and in wintering areas. Preservation of old hollow trees. Explaining to the population the need to protect the species.
Information sources:
1. Pavlinov et al., 2002; 2. Chistyakov, 2000; 3. Chistyakov, 2002; 4. Chistyakov et al., 2010; author's data.
Compiled by: D. V. Chistyakov.
Brandt's bat (lat. Myotis brandtii) is a small bat of the genus of bats. Their body weight is usually 5.5-10 g, body length 38-55 mm, tail length 31-45 mm, forearm length 33-39 mm, wingspan 19-24 cm. Named after the German zoologist Johann Brandt. Ear middle length, tapering towards the end, with a notch at the rear edge. The muzzle, ears and membranes are quite dark, usually darker than the base color of the coat. At the same time, the bases of the auricles and the bases of the tragus are light and uncolored. The foot with claws is approximately half the size of the lower leg. The wing membrane is attached to the base of the outer toe. The epiblema is undeveloped. The fur is thick, long, slightly disheveled. The hair has dark bases, the color of the back is from reddish to dark brown, the belly is from grayish to pale-whitish. Characteristic sign What distinguishes it from a similar mustachioed bat is the presence of a pointed protrusion on the large upper premolar tooth, on the anterior-inner edge of the crown. This protrusion, as a rule, is clearly visible behind the second minor premolar even in living animals (especially if you use a magnifying glass). The small premolar teeth themselves are approximately the same size.
Brandt's bat (lat. Myotis brandtii)
Lives in mixed and deciduous forests, penetrates the steppe along floodplains, prefers old-growth mixed and deciduous forests with hollow trees located near water bodies. It establishes nests and shelters in tree hollows, hollows, rock crevices, and less often in buildings; solitary animals can spend the day simply behind a loose piece of bark. It winters in various underground shelters, in old adits, basements and cracks in limestone cliffs. In the spring, Brandt's bat is one of the first to leave winter shelters, and before the arrival of pipistrelle bats from the south, it can be found in a variety of biotopes.
At first glance, Brandt's bat is similar in flight to pipistrelle bats, from which, when examined in the hands, it is easily distinguished by the absence of an epiblema, a pointed tragus, and the presence of two small premolar teeth in the upper jaw. This nocturnal bat hunts in the air on flying small insects, but as a rule, it hunts near woody vegetation. Flies out to hunt after dusk. Hunts flying insects in the forest over clearings and clearings at the level of crowns or between trunks, in parks, and also low above the surface of reservoirs. It feeds on a variety of small flying insects and lives in places with high concentrations of them. The flight is smooth, unhurried, and maneuverable. Echolocation signals are low intensity in the range of 80-35 kHz, with a maximum amplitude of about 45-50 kHz.
Mating after the end of lactation or during wintering. Breeds in early to mid summer. There is one cub in the litter, lactation is about 1.5 months. Brood colonies of up to several dozen females; males usually stay apart.
Data on abundance are fragmentary. One of the most common and widespread species of bats in the area mixed forests on the border with the forest-steppe, Brandt's bat is spread sporadically and is not numerous.
Limiting factors. Shortage of shelters due to felling of mature trees, violation food base as a result of human economic activity (use of insecticides). Direct disturbance and destruction of brood colonies in human buildings.
Lifespan is up to 20 years.
This miniature creature belongs to the order Chiroptera, the family of common bats, and the genus of bats.
In general, Chiroptera are the oldest animals on Earth. Scientists have proven that representatives of this order lived on our planet 55 million years ago. More accurately, it was an animal similar to a bat, but it is not yet possible to determine more precisely.
Brandt's bat was first described by the Russian naturalist and traveler Eduard Eversman in 1845. But it is named after the German naturalist, zoologist, botanist and doctor Johann Brandt. By the way, sometimes instead of “Brand’s bat” they say: “Brand’s bat.”
Description
This mouse has a body length of 4 to 5 cm, rarely more. The length of the tail is two-thirds of the length of the body. The weight of an individual individual ranges from 5 to 10 grams.
This bat has quite long ear, which tapers towards the end and has a cutout at the back. The fur on the face (mask) is dark in color. The fur of the entire body is thick, long, and somewhat disheveled. The fur has dark bases. Color variations on the back range from reddish to dark brown. Wings with membranes. Their range is quite large - up to 24 cm. Apparently, therefore, when describing the flight of the bat, zoologists note first of all its leisurely nature.
Under relatively calm living conditions (apart from the main enemy - humans), bats do not have much natural enemies) can live for about 20 years.
The photo in the article demonstrates in full what a colony of Brandt's bats looks like.
Females of this species usually form not the largest colonies - only up to several dozen individuals (for comparison: some bats gather several thousand individuals). As for the male bats, they usually stay solitary.
In a litter, Brandt's moth has one cub, which the mother feeds for a month and a half.
Habitat
The habitat is very extensive: England, Europe, Siberia, Korea, Japan, Sakhalin. There are known finds of specimens of this species in the lands of the Northern Urals, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.
Lives in tree hollows in both forest and forest-steppe areas. It can settle in rock crevices, caves and, quite rarely, in buildings. But most often they spend the winter underground.
Starts hunting at dusk. Its prey is flying insects. It can pursue prey both among treetops and over water. The flight of this creature is smooth and maneuverable.
According to the classification in the Red Book, Brandt's bat in different regions is most often classified as " rare view with limited, possibly intermittent distribution in different areas." Its distribution has been little studied, however, encounters are rare.
Peculiarities
Chiropterans in general and Brandt's bat in particular hunt and move by emitting ultrasonic signals. When an impulse encounters an obstacle (insect, wall, etc.), it returns like an echo and is captured by the animal - thus information about the object enters the brain. Echolocation serves the bat like a flashlight, emitting rays of light in different directions. With the help of a series of short signals of different frequencies, the bat is able to move and navigate even in complete darkness and a confined space (cave). Here the need for vision recedes into the background.
It is clear that insectivores are more capable of echolocation. the bats, in particular Brandt's Nightcrawler. Some frugivorous and nectarivorous species living on open spaces, they can easily do without it.
In addition, scientists have proven that the sounds made help bats also coexist in a colony - that is, communicate. And the presence of some social behavior involves sounds of different heights, volumes, and combinations. All this animal must be able to distinguish and understand. And Brandt's Nightcrawler is no exception in this case.
Observation
A lot of information has been collected about Chiroptera, but Brandt's bat has not yet been studied enough. Data on numbers, habitat characteristics and behavior are based on reliable, but not entirely systematized encounters.
The point here is partly that Chiroptera is the richest and most prolific order of Mammals in terms of speciation. For example, Brandt's bat is quite difficult to distinguish from another bat, the Usata.
In addition, collecting data on these creatures and observing them is difficult. These are nocturnal, secretive animals that hibernate in winter. In addition, Brandt's night light is also quite small in size.
Urbanistic and economic activity human destruction often destroys colonies of bats, which are usually attached to one place of settlement. That is why many species of Chiroptera are listed in the Red Book.
Brandt's bat- a transpalearctic species, distributed over most of Europe to northeastern China, Mongolia (Khuvsgul, Khangai, Khenti mountain range), Korea and the islands of Sakhalin, Kuril and Hokkaido. Rarely found in the Caucasus. It rises to heights of up to 1800 m above sea level. The species is named after the German zoologist Johann Friedrich von Brandt. Brandt's bat is a small animal, body length 3.8-5.5 cm, tail length 3.1-4.5 cm, forearm length 3.3-3.9 cm. Wingspan up to 20-24 cm. Body weight 3 ,1-12 gr. The wings are wide and blunt. The wing membrane is attached to the hind limb at the base of the outer toe. The length of the foot is approximately half the length of the lower leg. The ear, extended forward along the head, protrudes 1-3 mm beyond the tip of the nose. The tragus is long, pointed, evenly tapering towards the apex. The male genital organ is quite large. The skull is elongated with a flattened brain capsule and a gentle rise in the forehead. The interorbital space always exceeds the distance between the outer edges of the upper canines. The small anterior teeth are quite large and are located on the midline of the dentition. Dental formula: i 2/3 c 1/1 p 3/3 m 3/3 = 38 teeth in total. Brandt's bat lives in mixed and broad-leaved trees, and sometimes in coniferous forests, often right next to water. It is not so often found near human habitation.
The coat is thick, long and shaggy. The color of the fur on the back is brownish-brown, the belly is brownish-white with a yellowish tint. The wing membrane, nose and ears are light brown. Juveniles in their first year of birth are darker in color than adults. There is a black mask on the face, and circles of bare skin can be seen around the eyes. They fly out to hunt late, in complete darkness. They drink water while diving over a pond. Brandt's bats are insectivores, their diet includes moths, spiders and other small insects. The flight is smooth, leisurely and maneuverable. They hunt all night low over the banks of reservoirs, treetops, along park alleys and forest edges. The day is spent in wall niches, tree hollows, spaces behind loose tree bark, in attics, cellars, woodpiles, rock cracks, etc. In colonies, hollows, attics or caves hang on the ceiling, huddled in a dense heap. Mating usually occurs in the fall or after the end of lactation; the sperm is stored in the female's uterus until spring. To give birth and feed their young, females gather in maternity colonies, numbering from 20 to 60 individuals.
Childbirth occurs in June-July. Newborn cubs huddle together as females fly out to hunt. At the age of three weeks, the young already learn to fly, but become independent only by 1.5 months. In the north of its range, Brandt's bat is apparently a nomadic species. Mice fly south or gather in caves, tunnels, basements or mines. During the winter, they accumulate fatty substances, mainly in the area of the shoulder blades. Wintering lasts from late September to early May. In some areas of the range they commit seasonal migrations, but no further than 230 km from the places where day roosts are located. The voices of Brandt's moths are absolutely individual, so the animal can easily recognize the reflection of its own signal in a cave where hundreds of thousands of mice are using the echolocator at the same time. In addition to ultrasound, bats also use regular sound signals, mainly for communication. These sounds usually lie at the threshold of human perception. The frequencies used by this species of bat for echolocation lie between 32 and 80 kHz. The lifespan of Brandt's bats is about 20 years.
