Daubenton’s bat is a medium sized species of bat. It has brownish-grey fur on the back and silver-grey fur on the underside, reddish-pink face and nose, and dark brown wings and tail. Wingspan is typically 24-27cm. 

 

Daubenton’s bat is found throughout Ireland and Europe and as far east as Japan and Korea. It is mostly found in woodlands and always roosts close to water, also choosing locations close to water for hibernation from September to March/April. It feeds predominantly on insects caught in the air of from the surface of water. Interestingly, when Daubenton’s bat feeds, it can often substantially (more than 50%) increase weight - increasing from approximately 7g to 11g after feeding for about an hour. 

 

In Ireland, the population of Daubenton’s bat is thought to be stable, consisting of approximately 10,000+ mature individuals. 

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Image (c) from Gilles San Martin, used under Creative Commons License BY-SA 2.0.