Whiskered bat
Myotis mystacinus
Polina Polezhankina · Salavatsky District
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Insectivore: flies, spiders, moths
- Status in Georgia
- Native; widespread
- Size
- Body 3.5–4.8 cm, weight 4–8 g
- Habitat
- Forest, mountains, settlements, waterside
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Conservation
- LC / LC
The whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus) is a tiny, dark-furred and very lively bat: its body is 3.5–4.8 cm long and it weighs 4–8 g. It is widespread in Georgia and known from more than 30 sites, from Zugdidi and Kutaisi to Tbilisi, Bakuriani and Lagodekhi. It lives in forests, mountains, fields and also settlements, and in summer it hides in rock crevices, buildings and tree holes. Several close relatives look so alike that it was separated from Brandt's bat only in 1970. If a bat flies into your home, do not catch it with bare hands: open a window and give it time to leave.
Identification
Whiskered bat: how to identify it
A small myotis with long, dark, tousled fur. Its ears and wing membranes are dark. Several almost identical bats live in Georgia, so you cannot tell the species by appearance.
It is tiny: the body is 3.5–4.8 cm, the wingspan 21–24 cm and the weight 4–8 g. The body is slender, the fur dense and tousled.
The back ranges from dark brown to golden, and the belly is greyish. The ears and wings are dark. Close relatives share these features, so they alone will not identify the species.
David's myotis, Brandt's bat and the Alcathoe whiskered bat look very much like it. They are told apart by their teeth or DNA, and even specialists sometimes get it wrong. Do not catch a bat to identify it: that is a job for specialists.
Colour
The back ranges from dark brown to golden, sometimes with yellowish and dark sandy tones. The belly is greyish. The ears and wing membranes are dark, almost black.
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
The whiskered bat lives in very different settings: forests, mountains, meadows, farmland and even towns. In summer it hides in rock crevices, buildings and tree holes, and in settlements often behind window frames and shutters. It spends the winter in underground sites but avoids large caves in summer. In Georgia it is considered a partly cave-dwelling species. It is one of the most widely recorded myotis bats in Georgia. In the west it has been found near Zugdidi, Kutaisi, Zestaponi, Shrosha, Sachkhere and Chakvistavi, and in the Pskhu-Gumista reserve. In the centre it is known near Borjomi, Bakuriani, Ateni and Tskhinvali and in the Liakhvi reserve, and in the east in Tbilisi, near Mtskheta, Ananuri, Dusheti, Akhmeta and Lagodekhi, in the Korugi and Gardabani reserves and near Bolnisi. These are records, not a sign that it is common everywhere.
The whiskered bat feeds on small insects, above all flies and midges. It also eats spiders and moths. It hunts along the edges of vegetation, over open fields and over water. After leaving its roost it often heads to the nearest pond and circles over the surface, then flies around treetops, steep banks and roofs.
The whiskered bat is a very lively, active bat. It does not form large groups: in summer roosts rarely more than 10–12 gather, and it often squeezes into a crevice alone or in twos and threes. In large caves in winter it hangs in groups of 10–15, 20–30 m up. The warmer the roost, the fewer animals in a group. Its echolocation calls span 34–102 kHz, loudest at about 53 kHz, and each call lasts about 3 milliseconds. Like most myotis bats, the female usually has one young a year.
Globally the whiskered bat is rated Least Concern (LC, 2016): it is widespread and faces no serious threats. It is one of the most common bats in Europe. In Georgia, too, the 2021 national assessment rates it Least Concern (LC), with a stable population. It is harmed by logging and by damage to roosts in trees, buildings and underground sites.
Related guides
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Across almost the whole country. It has been found at more than 30 sites: near Zugdidi and Kutaisi, in the Pskhu-Gumista reserve, near Borjomi and Bakuriani, in Tbilisi, and near Ananuri, Akhmeta and Lagodekhi. It lives in forests and mountains as well as near villages.
By sight, it is almost impossible. David's myotis, Brandt's bat and the Alcathoe whiskered bat look very much like it. They are told apart by their teeth or DNA. That is a specialist's job, so do not catch the bat.
It will not attack you, but do not touch it with bare hands. A bat bite can be tiny and easy to miss. Rabies cannot be ruled out by appearance, although most bats people see are not rabid. After a bite or scratch, wash the spot with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor; in an emergency, call 112.
Stay calm and take children and pets out of the room. Close the doors to other rooms, open an outside window or door wide and switch off unnecessary lights. Then step back and give it time: a bat usually finds the way out on its own. Do not try to catch a bat in flight.
Small insects, above all flies and midges, as well as spiders and moths. It hunts over water, over fields and along the edges of vegetation. It often circles a pond first and then the treetops.
It is not threatened. Globally, and in Georgia's 2021 national assessment, it is rated Least Concern (LC). It is one of the most common bats in Europe. Logging and damage to its roosts harm it, so do not disturb bats in buildings and caves.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
