The mustachioed nightlight is a small bat common throughout Europe. This species was classified only in 1970 due to significant similarity with Brandt's night-lights. Moustached nightspots are often confused with waterbirds. Both species live in similar conditions and have common visually detectable characteristics. How to distinguish mustachioed nights out from relatives? Photos of these amazing animals, as well as their detailed description, are specially for you in our article.
Mustachioed night: photo and description
This is one of eleven species of nightlights found in Russia. The scythe nights belong to the family of smooth-nosed bats of the bats squad. These bats are common throughout Europe, from Iran and North Africa to Mongolia. Sometimes there are representatives of the species in Southeast Asia. Animals of this species usually lead a
sedentary lifestyle, and only in the northernmost habitats can they move to more southern areas with the onset of cold weather. The mustachioed nightlight, like most of its relatives, is active in the dark, and during the day rests in the shelter.
Distinctive features of the species
Moustached night-lights are small
bats. The body size of the representative of this species is 35-48 mm, and weight - 4-9 grams, the forearm of the animal - 31-37 mm. The body of the night-lamp is covered with thick disheveled fur, the color of which varies from yellowish to black in color on the back and sides. The belly of the animal is always lighter, from white to yellowish. Often the hairs are colored at the tips in a lighter shade than at the roots. The flying membranes and ears of all individuals are dark in color. This species got its name because of the long sensitive hairs visible on the face with the naked eye.
Behavior and lifestyle
The mustachioed nightlight lives in various natural landscapes. Meet representatives of this species can be in the mountains, deserts, steppes, woodland. Often animals settle near large reservoirs. In the wild, night-lights sleep in hollows of trees, caves, abandoned buildings. These bats can equip shelters in the neighborhood with humans. Often they live in cellars, in attics, behind platbands and wall cladding. The animals are active throughout the night, go hunting with dusk. Representatives of this species feed on small insects flying at an altitude of 1-6 meters from the ground.
The flight of baleen nights is always swift, with sharp turns. These bats can hunt throughout the night. At the same time, animals rarely fly away at considerable distances from their habitat. During the day, the nights sleep, clinging to the ceiling of the shelter, hanging upside down. Most often, representatives of the species live in small colonies. But sometimes the animals prefer to keep apart or 2-3 individuals together. The desire for loneliness is more characteristic of males. It is much more convenient for females to successfully raise offspring to live “in the family”.
Reproduction and stages of growing up of cubs
The breeding season for baleen nights is the beginning and middle of summer. Mating can occur immediately after lactation. Pregnancy lasts about 2 months. In one female, 1-2 cubs are usually born. In the summer, bats form small colonies, the number of which is usually no more than 12 individuals. The duration of lactation is 1.5 months. The newborn mustachioed nightlight does not leave the shelter. While the adults are hunting, the cubs are pressed against each other and wait for the return of their parents. Bats communicate with their relatives with normal sound signals. Each animal has its own voice by which others recognize it. Sounds made by nightlights lie on the threshold of human perception. We can hear a thin squeak if we listen carefully.
Interesting Facts
One of the species of bats living next to a person is a baleen night. A photo of this animal clearly demonstrates its size. Often we don’t even suspect the neighborhood with these amazing animals. Representatives of the species can create shelters for themselves in residential buildings, farm buildings and other structures erected by human hands. Neighborhood with nightlights is completely safe for humans, animals will never attack first on such a large creature. Bats are perfectly oriented in space, even in complete darkness. Their main secret is echolocation. The animals use signals in the range 43-102 kHz, the maximum amplitude is 53 kHz. How can nightlights not lose their orientation, moving in a small cave as a whole colony? Each individual has an individual voice and intonation. In some separate regions of Russia, the description of the mustachioed nightlight can be found in the local Red Books, as a species that needs special protection. With a global assessment of the total number of animals living throughout the country, such concerns do not arise. Officially, this species is considered normal, normally distributed.