Quick Facts

Scientific name:  Myotis myotis

Size:  Wingspan up to 45cm, head and body length up to 9cm

Distribution:  A solitary male is known from a hibernation site in Sussex, however the species is classified as extinct in the UK

Months seen:  n/a

Habitat:  Winter roosts in caves and tunnels.  Summer in trees and buildings

Food:  Moths, flies, midges and beetles

Echolocation Frequency: Between 22 and 86 kHz (mostly 37 kHz)

Special features:  Greater Mouse-Eared Bats are large bats with pale brown coloured fur on the upper half of their body, and greyish-white fur underneath.  They have very distinctive large ears and a narrow pointed tragus.

The greater mouse-eared bat was only discovered in the UK in 1958, and by 1990 it was officially declared extinct here.  Since then, two Greater Mouse-eared Bats have shown up.  The first was a female, found in Bognor, in 2001, which died a few days after discovery.  The other was a male, found in December 2002, in a tunnel near Chichester.  As a result of these finds it's hoped there may still be a small group breeding somewhere in Sussex.

Related Pages

• UK Safari Bats Section
• UK Safari Mammals section
• UK Safari Extinct Wildlife section
• Identify other wildlife
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