2016 : Plecotus auritus

Bats are the only class of mammals that have adapted to fly. Of the 1,200 bat species globally, 16 can be found in Latvia. Since bat populations grow slowly — each mother gives birth to only one or two bats annually — the survival of every colony and even each individual is crucial for the species’ continuation.

Bats are conservative animals that use the same places for their homes generation after generation. They rely on specific landscape features for their flight paths to feeding areas and during migration. However, bats are highly sensitive to environmental changes, making their survival vulnerable to numerous threats, many of which are caused or influenced by human activities. Additionally, bats are often misunderstood due to superstitions and misinformation about their behaviour and characteristics.

This year’s featured natural element for the Nature Concerthall is Plecotus auritus — the brown long-eared bat. This species is a notable example of a bat that lives in Latvia year-round and has adapted closely to humans. Most of these bats — numbering in the tens of thousands — hibernate in small cellars. Often, the landowners of these cellars are unaware of their hidden guests.

In the summer, some brown long-eared bats choose to live and rear their young in human-made structures, such as attics or cracks in walls, where they remain unnoticed due to their quiet nature. However, changes in household management, such as the reduced need for cellars or their modernisation, have left many long-eared bats without their traditional hibernation sites, sometimes leading to their demise.

This species also inhabits forests, living in tree holes, but it feeds both at forest edges and in agricultural landscapes. Here, it faces threats from deforestation and the use of pesticides. Although the brown long-eared bat remains the most common bat species in Latvia, surveys of wintering sites over the past 24 years indicate a slow but steady population decline. This suggests that human-induced environmental changes are occurring faster than the bats can adapt, despite their historically close relationship with humans.