CROATIAN FAUNA – BATS, Mediterranean long-eared bat

Mediterranean long-eared bat is the smallest of the four species of this genus in Croatia. It was described and discovered by Batrica Đulić, Ph. D., professor who named it after the famous bat explorer professor Juraj Kolombatović. The characteristic of this bat genus are extremely large ears which are used for orientation and listening for prey. It is spread only on the coast, and on the Adriatic islands it is the only species of long-eared bats. Summer colonies are found in the towers of churches and the largest known is the one in the Boljun church in Istria. Its wintering grounds are unknown. At night it hunts mostly within forest stands, often flying low at the edge of the garrigues and hedges. The hunting habitats are generally placed within 3 km from the shelters. The relatively small populations on the islands, rare findings located on the coast and dependence on anthropogenic shelters (attics of churches and houses) are the reasons why Mediterranean long-eared bat is endangered species.