Pipistrelle bats  (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus)

Species information

Videos and images

Authentication

Information authenticated by the Bat Conservation Trust:
http://www.bats.org.uk/

Glossary

  • Echolocation: detecting objects by reflected sound. Used for orientation and detecting and locating prey by bats and cetacea (whales and dolphins).
  • Hibernation: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal's metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is 'diapause', a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.

References

  1. National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
  2. Bat Conservation Trust (January 2002) http://www.bats.org.uk/
  3. UKBAP Species Action Plan (January 2002), available at: http://www.ukbap.org.uk
  4. Wardhaugh, A.A. (1995) Bats of the British Isles. Shire Natural History, Aylesbury.
  5. Bat Conservation Trust (2002) Pers Comm
  6. Altringham, J. (1999) Bats: Biology and Behaviour. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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