Plecotus austriacus
gray big-eared bat

The grey long-eared bat is found in suitable habitat across Eurasia and northern Africa. (Wilson and Reeder, 1993)

P. austriacus can be found dwelling in caves, tall tropical flowers, old bird nests, under rocks, or more likely in tunnels and buildings with many crevices. They are rarely found deep in caves but spend most of the winter at the entrances. They also tend to return to the same roosting site year after year. P. austriacus can be found mostly in villages where there is an abundance of trees and warm old buildings. (Altringham,1996)

This species strongly resembles another species in its genus, P. auritus, except for color. The fur of the P. austriacus is more grey than brown. Its face is also slightly larger. It has very broad wings and long ears measuring about 40 mm in length. Its ears are folded and tucked underneath its wings during the winter months of hibernation. (Nowak 1997)

Members of this species practice sperm storage and delayed fertilization. The male and female copulate in the fall, whereupon sperm is stored in the uterus of the female. Ovulation and fertilization occur in the following spring. The young are born early in summer in order to have enough time to build enough fat from weaning to survive the winter. The female has only one reproductive cycle per year. During the developmental stage, the mother and offspring remain in their roosting sites for July and August. (Swift 1998 and Wilson 1997)

Like most vespertilionids bats, these bats usually capture insects while flying by using a pouch formed by their tail membrane. Because they only fly after dark, P. austriacus rely heavily on echolocation in order to capture prey. Insects are usually the preferred dish although there have been cases where a bat in captivity was given only a small lizard and ate it. (Leen 1969)

Plecotus austriacus can stay in flight while hunting its prey and get back to its roosting site with no trouble from predators. The only effective predator on this bat is usually humans. Predation by birds is usually opportunistic. Predation by domestic cats is a threat to those bats dwelling in attics and rafters of old homes. (Nowak 1997)

Because this species is an insectivore, it can be said that they control insect populations in their geographic range.

The only documented problem found with P. austriacus is that it tends to hibernate in buildings frequented by humans. It can be seen as a household pest because its droppings in attics may cover furniture and other possessions stored there. Contrary to popular belief, bats are not dirty but groom themselves often. Another potential problem is that bats carry rabies. In fact, one is much more likely to get rabies from an unvaccinated dog than from a bat.

In Britain, the grey long-eared bat is protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 which makes it illegal to capture, injure, kill, or disturb a bat.

Other ways to conserve this population are to preserve old farm buildings and deciduous woodlands.

Females are heterothermic during early pregnancy but become homeothermic from mid-late pregnancy to birth. (Altringham 1996)

Because this species dwells mostly in man-made buildings, it is susceptible to different types of chemical poisons found in the timber used in architecture.