Thought to be extinct in the UK, this bat was found in an old railway tunnel

Experts believe that his genus is now extinct, but this is not the case. A bat specimen was recently rediscovered in the UK in a disused railway tunnel. It will be the second largest vespertilio known in the country

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It was 1992 when the largest bat was named, the scientific name myotis myotis, Declared extinct in the UK. A defeat for the protection of the species but visible because in 2002 a male specimen was identified in the country.

The bat was in a disused railway tunnel in West Sussex, where it had been hidden the whole time. But the biggest surprise came during the Sussex Bat Group watch programme. in the middle of the month toWithin the same tunnel, another larger bat has been discovered.

This is a very important discovery for us and shows the importance of regular monitoring of bat colonies – we may have missed this very important discovery of the second largest bat in Britain. It also shows how important it is for bats to protect these hibernation sites, the Sussex Bat Group commented.

Is this bat repopulating the UK? That could be the case. In fact, experts from the Sussex Bat Group speculate that this little guy comes from France where a large colony has been established. There is also the possibility that larger bats may be breeding in an as yet unknown area.

Greater bats are the largest species of the genus meotis. It is distributed in Europe, Asia Minor, Lebanon and Palestine. During the summer, it lives in many colonies while when winter comes, it usually disperses to hibernate in damp places.

It can be encountered in the most diverse environments including on the plains or in the hills. Considered the population of this bat endangered by the IUCN After a significant decrease in the population in the area of ​​its distribution.

In the UK, this species is believed to have disappeared completely due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat. The Sussex Bat Group is now questioning these pressures that exclude no country from being able to bring back the greatest buzz to the UK.

Is it possible that as a result of climate change and the UK’s hottest summers, larger bats are just beginning to move in from mainland Europe to settle in the UK? This is one of the questions that the Foundation will try to answer.

Source: Sussex Bat Group / Facebook –

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