Plecotus auritus bat seen in Tatarstan after 26 years of absence

Scientists captured two brown-eared bats, listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Tatarstan, during research at the Sviyazhsk Educational and Scientific Base.

Researchers from the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology participated in the research. Vadim Saitov, professor in the Department of Zoology and General Biology, led the team. The team also included Nikolai Shulaev, associate professor in the same department, and Lyubov Androsyuk, laboratory assistant.

The research was conducted jointly with Maxim Egorov, senior researcher and chief bat specialist at the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve, and Maria Malyavina, master’s student at Penza State University.

The bats were captured using mist nets and special ultrasound generators. They were then identified, their morphometric parameters were measured, and parasites (ticks and fleas) were collected. After this, the animals were safely released.

“As a result of the research, two specimens of a species listed in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Tatarstan, the brown-eared bat, were caught. It had not been reliably recorded in the region for 26 years,” said Shulaev.

In addition to the brown-eared bat, other endangered bats were also recorded, including Myotis daubentonii, Myotis brandtii, Nyctalus noctula, and Pipistrellus pipistrellus. According to the specialist, interest in bats has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.