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Brandt's bat or Brandt's myotis (''Myotis brandtii'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is native throughout most of Europe and parts of western Asia.


Taxonomy and etymology

The species was described in 1845 by German zoologist
Eduard Friedrich Eversmann Alexander Eduard Friedrich Eversmann (23 January 1794 – 14 April 1860) was a Prussian biologist and explorer. Eversmann was born in Westphalia and studied at the universities of Marburg, Halle, Berlin and Dorpat. He received his degree of Philo ...
, who placed it the genus ''
Vespertilio ''Vespertilio'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. The common name for this family is vesper bats, which is a better-known classification than ''Vespertilio''. They are also known as frosted bats. Species within the genus ''Vespe ...
''. For a time, the Brandt's bat was considered a subspecies of the
whiskered bat The whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') is a small European bat with long fur. Although uncommon, ''M. mystacinus'' is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat (''Myotis brandtii''), from which it ...
, ''Myotis mystacinus''. In 1958, one author proposed that the two might be separate species, based on
baculum The baculum (also penis bone, penile bone, or ''os penis'', ''os genitale'' or ''os priapi'') is a bone found in the penis of many placental mammals. It is absent from the human penis, but present in the penises of some primates, such as the ...
differences; this idea gained traction in papers authored in 1970 and 1971. It is named for the German zoologist
Johann Friedrich von Brandt Johann Friedrich von Brandt (25 May 1802 – 15 July 1879) was a German-Russian naturalist, who worked mostly in Russia. Brandt was born in Jüterbog and educated at a gymnasium in Wittenberg and the University of Berlin. In 1831 he emigrat ...
. Formerly, populations in central and eastern Asia were classified in this species. However, more recent studies indicate that they form a distinct species, the
Siberian bat The Siberian bat or Siberian whiskered myotis (''Myotis sibiricus'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found throughout northeastern Asia, primarily in Siberia. It is known for its high life expectancy relative to i ...
(''Myotis sibiricus'').


Range and habitat

It is found throughout Europe and western
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, and can be found in the following regions: Great Britain, Western Europe,
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ar ...
,
Fennoscandia __NOTOC__ Fennoscandia ( Finnish, Swedish and no, Fennoskandia, nocat=1; russian: Фенноскандия, Fennoskandiya) or the Fennoscandian Peninsula is the geographical peninsula in Europe, which includes the Scandinavian and Kola penin ...
, and western
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
. In the Balkans it is limited to the mountains. In 2010, Brandt's bat was documented in Ireland for the first time. Throughout its range, it has been documented at elevations from above sea level. It can be found in deciduous forests, or forests that are a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. It is often found in close proximity to water.


Description

It has dark gray or brown fur that is grayish underneath with golden tips. The face and the tips of ears are pinkish in color.


Biology

Like primates and other bats, the Brandt's bat has lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C.


Reproduction

During the summer, females will form
maternity colonies A maternity colony refers to a temporary association of reproductive female bats for giving birth to, nursing, and weaning their pups. The colonies are initiated by pregnant bats. After giving birth, the colony consists of the lactating females an ...
to raise their young. The litter size is one pup. Pups are born in early summer, with pups becoming
volant Volant may refer to: *Volant (heraldry), an attitude of heraldry, a position of a bird emblazoned as a charge, supporter or crest *Flying and gliding animals *Volant skis Volant is a brand of ski equipment, currently owned by Amer Sports. It w ...
around one month of age. Maternity colonies have also been found in tree cavities and in bat houses. Some females reach sexual maturity at three months of age, but most do not breed until after reaching a year of age. Mating occurs in the fall, but females store the sperm until the spring, which is when
fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...
occurs.


Longevity

Brandt's bats had previously been reported to have very long lifespans nearing 40 years, but these populations have since been reclassified into a different species, the
Siberian bat The Siberian bat or Siberian whiskered myotis (''Myotis sibiricus'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found throughout northeastern Asia, primarily in Siberia. It is known for its high life expectancy relative to i ...
(''Myotis sibiricus''). Populations of Brandt's bat do not have as long life expectancies as the Siberian bat. Populations of Brandt's bat near Saint Petersburg live approximately 8.5 years; populations in the
Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...
do not live longer than 18.5 years. However, researchers have also identified molecular evidence for long lifespans in true Brandt's bats, including changes in
growth hormone receptor Growth hormone receptor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''GHR'' gene. GHR orthologs have been identified in most mammals. Structure Growth hormone receptor (GHR) is a transmembrane protein consisting of 620 amino acids. The rec ...
s and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors that likely contribute to a long life expectancy. By roosting in caves, it is able to avoid extreme weather conditions and predators, increasing its chances of living a long life. It also hibernates, which is linked to longer life expectancies in bats.


Senses

Like other echolocating bats that use echolocation to detect prey instead of other senses, it has a reduction in the number of genes responsible for the
sense of smell The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, it ...
. Its eyes are small and adapted to vision in low-light levels. They are likely totally or partially
color-blind Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may make some aca ...
, and likely unable to see clearly in bright daylight. The frequencies used by this bat species for echolocation lie between 32 and 103 kHz, have maximum energy density at 51 kHz and have an average duration of 4.2 ms.


Conservation

It is currently evaluated as
least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this designation because it is an abundant, widespread species, with no indication of a decline in its population. Like all bat species in Europe, the Brandt's bat is a
European Protected Species European Protected Species (EPS) are species of plants and animals (other than birds) protected by law throughout the European Union. They are listed in Annexes II and IV of the European Habitats Directive. The lists include several hundred species ...
, meaning that it is illegal to deliberately capture, kill, injure, or disturb individuals; in addition, their roosts are protected as "breeding or resting" places.


References


External links


ARkive
Photographs {{Taxonbar, from=Q599519 Mouse-eared bats Bats of Europe Mammals of Russia Mammals of Turkey Taxa named by Eduard Friedrich Eversmann Mammals described in 1845 Bats of Asia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot