Bat Species in the Kyffhäuser Region
Nature Park Kyffhäuser » Bats » Bat SpeciesTwenty of the 24 species of bat in Germany occur in the Kyffhäuser Nature Park. Here is an overview of these species:
| Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800) |
Wingspan: 19 - 25 cm Head-torso length: 3.7 - 4.5 cm Forearm length: 3.6 - 4.0 cm |
The nose of the lesser horseshoe bat really does look like there's a horseshoe on it. The Kyffhäuser range of hills is the border of the northernmost distribution for this species in Germany. The bat has become one of the best-known species in Thuringia and beyond ever since engaged conservationists saved it from extinction. |
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| Greater Mouse-eared Bat Myotis myotis (Borkhausen, 1797) |
Wingspan: 35 - 43 cm Head-torso length: 6.7 - 8.4 cm Forearm length: 5.5 - 6.7 cm |
The greater mouse-eared bat is the largest and, at up to 40 grams, the heaviest bat species in Germany. On the hunt it follows the scent and sounds of beetles, which it then picks up from the forest floor while in flight. |
| Bechstein's Bat Myotis bechsteini (Kuhl, 1817) |
Wingspan: 25 - 29 cm Head-torso length: 4.5 - 5.6 cm Forearm length: 3.9 - 4.7 cm |
If a Bechstein's bat becomes too warm or too cold in its hollow tree roost, it moves from one tree to the next in the middle of the day. The bat is named for the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein, who advocated special protection of bats back in the 18th century. |
| Natterer's Bat Myotis nattereri (Kuhl, 1817) |
Wingspan: 25 - 28 cm Head-torso length: 4.1 - 5.2 cm Forearm length: 3.4 - 4.4 cm |
The pink face of the natterer's bat is nearly hairless. A characteristic feature of this bat is the row of stiff hairs near its tail membrane. It can fly slowly and low to ground and take prey while in flight. |
| Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentoni (Kuhl, 1817) |
Wingspan: 24 - 28 cm Head-torso length: 4.5 - 5.5 cm Forearm length: 3.5 - 4.2 cm |
Daubenton's bat hunts very close to the water's surface. It uses its tail membrane as a net to fish insects out of the water. With more than 870 known summer quarters and about 1800 winter quarters, it is one of the most frequent species in Thuringia and therefore is not endangered here. |
| Brandt's Bat Myotis brandtii (Eversmann, 1845) |
Wingspan: 19 - 24 cm Head-torso length: 3.9 - 5.5 cm Forearm length: 3.3 - 3.8 cm |
Brandt's bat is small, but slightly larger than its relative the whiskered bat. It took more than a century (1845-1970) before experts recognized this bat as a separate species. |
| Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinus (Kuhl, 1817) |
Wingspan: 19 - 23 cm Head-torso length: 3.5 - 4.8 cm Forearm length: 3.2 - 3.7 cm |
The whiskered bat often roosts in houses and other buildings. The bat often raises its young behind roofing shingles, slate-clad buildings and window shutters. |
| Alcathoe Whiskered Bat Myotis alcathoe (Helversen & Heller, 2001) |
Wingspan: 18 - 24 cm Head-torso length: 3.6-4.2 cm Forearm length: 3.1 - 3.5 cm |
The alcathoe whiskered bat is one of the smallest species in Europe. In 2006 this southern species was found near the Barbarossa Cave, the first time it had been seen in Central Germany. The Kyffhäuser region is the bat's northernmost distribution area in Germany. |
| Noctule Bat Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774) |
Wingspan: 32 - 45 cm Head-torso length: 6.0 - 8.2 cm Forearm length: 4.8 - 5.8 cm |
Bat or swallow? When the noctule bat hunts against a still-light sky, it's not easy to tell the difference. Like many bird species, the noctule bat migrates to warmer places, sometimes covering long distances such as from Scandinavia to the south of France. |
| Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri (Kuhl, 1817) |
Wingspan: 26 - 34 cm Head-torso length: 4.8 - 7.2 cm Forearm length: 3.7 - 4.7 cm |
Solitary Leisler's bats have attempted twice in recent years to overwinter in the Thuringian Gate. Experts see that as both a sensation and an indication of global warming. |
| Serotine Bat Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774) |
Wingspan: 32 - 38 cm Head-torso length: 6.4 - 8.0 cm Forearm length: 4.7 - 5.8 cm |
The serotine bat is often found in houses. It prefers to raise its young in attics and frequently hunts near streetlights. In 1941 the bat received its current German name which is translated literally into "broad-winged bat". Earlier it was referred to as "latecomer", "evening flutterer" and "late-flying bat" because it hunted when dusk ended. |
| Northern Bat Eptesicus nilssosonii (Keyserling und Blasius, 1839) |
Wingspan: 24 - 28 cm Head-torso length: 5.4 - 6.4 cm Forearm length: 3.8 - 4.6 cm |
The northern bat can be identified easily by its shaggy brown fur tipped in yellow. It doesn't mind the cold. That's why it is the only species which occurs in northern Scandinavia. |
| Nathusius's Pipistrelle Bat Pipistrellus nathusii (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839) |
Wingspan: 23 - 25 cm Head-torso length: 4.6 - 5.8 cm Forearm length: 3.2 - 3.7 cm |
Nathusius's pipistrelle bat is particularly rare in Thuringia. Until recently it rested here on its way to winter quarters. In 2010 and 2011 two nurseries were discovered in the Kyffhäuser region – the first time ever in Thuringia. |
| Common Pipistrelle Bat Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) |
Wingspan: 18 - 24 cm Head-torso length: 3.6 - 5.1 cm Forearm length: 2.8 - 3.5 cm |
The common pipistrelle bat performs acrobatic flight maneuvers as it hunts mosquitoes one to four meters above the ground. Each bat consumes 1000 mosquitoes and more per night. |
| Brown Long-eared Bat Plecutus auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Wingspan: 24 - 29 cm Head-torso length: 4.5 - 5.2 cm Forearm length: 3.5 - 4.3 cm |
True to its name, this bat really does have very long ears, which it can roll up and push under its forearms while it sleeps. The bat flies like a helicopter while hunting. In order to collect insects from branches and leaves, it hovers in place. |
| Grey Long-eared Bat Plecutus auritus (Fischer, 1829) |
Wingspan: 26 - 30 cm Head-torso length: 3.9 - 5.8 cm Forearm length: 3.5 - 4.5 cm |
For 130 years experts believed that the grey long-eared bat was a sub-species of the brown long-eared bat. In 1960 the ornithologist Kurt Bauer recognized the bat as a separate species. He gave the bat the German name for the color (grau) of the fur on its back and the Latin name (austriacus) for the place it was found in honor of his home country of Austria. |
| Western Barbastelle Bat Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774) |
Wingspan: 26 - 29 cm Head-torso length: 4.5 - 5.8 cm Forearm length: 3.7 - 4.4 cm |
The face of the western barbastelle bat resembles the short muzzle of a pug. Among the bat's earlier names were "cow-mouth", "short-muzzled bat" and "big-eared bat". More than 200 bats gather every year in winter quarters near the Thuringia Gate. It is the second largest winter quarters of its kind in Germany. |
| Parti-coloured Bat Vespertilio murinus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Wingspan: 27 - 31 cm Head-torso length: 4.8 - 6.4 cm Forearm length: 4.1 - 5.0 cm |
The two-toned bat is one of the few European species which often bear twins and sometimes triplets. The female bat has four nipples instead of two for nursing her young. |
| Pond Bat Myotis dasycneme (Boie, 1825) |
Wingspan: 20 - 30 cm Head-torso length: 5.7 - 6.8 cm Forearm length: 4.3 - 4.9 cm |
The pond bat is extremely rare in Germany and is not found at all in Europe south of Thuringia. The bat's most distinctive feature is its relatively large feet. |
| Soprano Pipistrelle Bat Myotis pygmaeus (Leach, 1825) |
Wingspan: 18 - 24 cm Head-torso length: 3.2 - 5.1 cm Forearm length: 2.7 - 3.3 cm |
The smallest European species, the soprano pipistrelle bat weighs just three to seven grams. It is so similar to the common pipistrelle bat that researchers first recognized it as a separate species in 1997 after conducting genetic tests. |
Would you like to learn more about the Kyffhäuser region, more about bats?
Visit the exhibit "Geheimnisse der Nacht – Faszination Fledermaus" at the Kyffhäuser Museum in Bad Frankenhausen.