• Breaking News
  • U.S. News
  • Contact
  • View Print Edition
    • CL Digital
  • Subscribe
Monday, May 23, 2022
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Advertise with us
The Chicago Leader
Donate Now
  • Home
    • Subscribe to the print newspaper
    • Scavenger Hunt Contest
    • Download Media Kit PDF
    • Ad submission
    • Sponsors
  • World
    Smallpox

    Monkeypox Outbreak in the US

    Bahamas

    Bahamas Mysterious Deaths Puzzles Tourists

    Mexico

    Mexico Is One of the Most Dangerous Countries for Reporters

    Trending Tags

    • Breaking News
    • Health
    • Coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
  • U.S. News
    • All
    • Black History
    • Chicago
    • Illinois
    Shooting

    Shooting in Chicago Leaves 2 Dead

    US

    US, Spain, and Portugal Identify Monkeypox Patients

    Floyd

    Former Officer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in George Floyd’s Death

    Trending Tags

    • U.S.
    • U.S. Census
    • Politics
  • Business
    • All
    • Jobs
    Barbie

    Barbie Continues to Be Inclusive With Its Dolls

    Ohio

    Ohio Doctor Free From Murder Charges

    Jones

    Alex Jones Infowars Files for Bankruptcy

    Trending Tags

    • Wall Street
    • Trump
    • Bankruptcy
    • Federal Reserve Bank
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Arts
    • Book Review
    • Chicago Film Office
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Review
    streaming

    Best Deals for National Streaming Day 2022

    Queen

    Queen Elizabeth Celebrates 70 Years on the Throne

    Apple

    Apple Update iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Changes

    Trending Tags

    • Movies
    • marvel movies
    • Dancing
  • Sports
  • Science
    • All
    • CBD
    • Climate
    • Marijuana
    Octopus

    Octopus Mothers Die After Laying Eggs

    black hole

    Black Hole of the Milky Way Galaxy First Seen

    UFO

    Biological Impact of UFO Sightings on Human Observers

    Trending Tags

    • UFO
    • Coronavirus
    • Novel coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
    • NASA
    • scientists
  • Health
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Faith
    • food
    • homeopathy
    • mental health
    • prostate
    Lone Star

    Lone Star Tick Bite Causes Allergy to Red Meat

    stroke

    Stroke Prevention Is Key to Stay Healthy

    Abortion

    Abortion Protest Outside Clinic

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Home
    • Subscribe to the print newspaper
    • Scavenger Hunt Contest
    • Download Media Kit PDF
    • Ad submission
    • Sponsors
  • World
    Smallpox

    Monkeypox Outbreak in the US

    Bahamas

    Bahamas Mysterious Deaths Puzzles Tourists

    Mexico

    Mexico Is One of the Most Dangerous Countries for Reporters

    Trending Tags

    • Breaking News
    • Health
    • Coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
  • U.S. News
    • All
    • Black History
    • Chicago
    • Illinois
    Shooting

    Shooting in Chicago Leaves 2 Dead

    US

    US, Spain, and Portugal Identify Monkeypox Patients

    Floyd

    Former Officer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in George Floyd’s Death

    Trending Tags

    • U.S.
    • U.S. Census
    • Politics
  • Business
    • All
    • Jobs
    Barbie

    Barbie Continues to Be Inclusive With Its Dolls

    Ohio

    Ohio Doctor Free From Murder Charges

    Jones

    Alex Jones Infowars Files for Bankruptcy

    Trending Tags

    • Wall Street
    • Trump
    • Bankruptcy
    • Federal Reserve Bank
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Arts
    • Book Review
    • Chicago Film Office
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Review
    streaming

    Best Deals for National Streaming Day 2022

    Queen

    Queen Elizabeth Celebrates 70 Years on the Throne

    Apple

    Apple Update iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Changes

    Trending Tags

    • Movies
    • marvel movies
    • Dancing
  • Sports
  • Science
    • All
    • CBD
    • Climate
    • Marijuana
    Octopus

    Octopus Mothers Die After Laying Eggs

    black hole

    Black Hole of the Milky Way Galaxy First Seen

    UFO

    Biological Impact of UFO Sightings on Human Observers

    Trending Tags

    • UFO
    • Coronavirus
    • Novel coronavirus
    • coronavirus pandemic
    • NASA
    • scientists
  • Health
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Faith
    • food
    • homeopathy
    • mental health
    • prostate
    Lone Star

    Lone Star Tick Bite Causes Allergy to Red Meat

    stroke

    Stroke Prevention Is Key to Stay Healthy

    Abortion

    Abortion Protest Outside Clinic

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • English
  • Spanish
No Result
View All Result
Chicago Leader
No Result
View All Result

Greater Mouse-Eared Bats Buzz Like Angry Hornets

by Sheena Robertson
May 10, 2022
in Breaking News, Featured, Science
0
Greater mouse-eared bats

Courtesy of Gilles San Martin (Flcikr CC0)

0
SHARES
9
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Don't like to read?

The Greater mouse-eared bats mimic the intense buzz of angry hornets to avoid being eaten by a ravenous predator.  They are also known as Myotis myotis and can live around three to 14 years.

These bats can reach eight to nine centimeters (3.15 to 3.54 inches) and weigh around 45 grams. They have a wingspan of 40 centimeters (15.748).

Their dorsal side (a.k.a. backside) is brown to reddish-brown in coloring. The Greater mouse-eared bat has a dirty white or beige-colored frontside (ventral side). Their wing membranes are brownish in color.

The females of this species are slightly bigger than the males.

Greater mouse-eared bats
Courtesy of Ted Moravec (Flickr PDM)

They are generally found in most European countries except Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, and the Scandinavian Peninsula. Greater mouse-eared bats are also found on many Mediterranean islands, such as Malta, Sicily,  and the Gymnesian Islands. Additionally, these bats can be seen in Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, and Lebanon.

Greater mouse-eared bats normally forage in open deciduous forest edges, woodlands, and pastures. They roost underground throughout the year where the bats also hibernate. These bats have also been known to roost in attics and lofts of buildings in Northern Europe.

Greater mouse-eared bats are highly social creatures and can live in colonies of 500 to over 4,500 bats. Sometimes they will roost with other bats, such as Common bent-wings bats and long-fingered bats.

These bats are nocturnal foragers, however, they do not use echolocation to capture their prey. Instead, they use echolocation only for geographical orientation. Greater mouse-eared bats locate their insect prey by listening to their noises. They feed on various arthropods such as spiders, beetles, and centipedes.

Greater mouse-eared bats mate in autumn. Females will carry one to two pups for 60 to 70 days. By two months old their young have reached independent age.

Recent research suggests that other bat species may use similar buzzing noises to deter predators from eating them. Mirjam Knörnschild, a senior scientist at the Museum for Natural History in Berlin, Germany stated, “It makes total sense to me that bats, with their remarkable vocal abilities and sophisticated control over their vocalizations, resort to acoustic means to fool predators.”

Danilo Russo, senior author of the study and a professor of ecology at the Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (UNINA) in Portici, Italy first heard the Greater mouse-eared bat’s distinctive buzz while in Lazio — a region located in central Italy. He and his team used soft mesh nets to catch the creatures to study them. When they would take them out of the nets “or handled the bats to process them, they buzzed like wasps or hornets.”

This caused Russo to believe they did so to avoid predation.

Written by Sheena Robertson

Sources:

Live Science: Bats tell predators to ‘buzz off’ — literally; by Nicoletta Lanese
Animala: GREATER MOUSE-EARED BAT
The New York Times: These Bats Buzz Like Hornets to Scare Off Predators

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Gilles San Martin’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Ted Moravec’s Flickr Page – Public Domain License

Tags: batsGreater mouse-eared batsItaly
Sheena Robertson

Sheena Robertson

Next Post
Tony Awards

2022 Tony Awards Nominees

Please login to join discussion

Recent Posts

  • Shooting in Chicago Leaves 2 Dead
  • Monkeypox Outbreak in the US
  • Best Deals for National Streaming Day 2022

Newsletter

Loading
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Ad submission
  • Contact
  • Team
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • FAQ
  • Mission

© 2018 TNS - TNS theme by Frackle TNSthemes.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Movie
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Health and Lifestyle
  • View Print Edition
  • Subscribe to the print newspaper
  • Contact

© 2018 TNS - TNS theme by Frackle TNSthemes.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....

Support independent local journalism by subscribing to the Chicago Leader print
and digital publication for just $15 a year.

Subscribe Now