Bats of Uzbekistan

Introduction

A bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Around 1,000 bat species can be found worldwide. They make up a quarter of all mammal species, some bats consume insects others fruit and nectar. Some are carnivorous preying on small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs/fish. Some bat populations number in the millions, others are dangerously low or in decline.

Uzbekistan 2001 Endangered Animals Stamps: Bats 7 value set featuring Hemprich's Long-eared Bat, Greater Noctule Bat, Lesser Horseshoe Bat, Noctule, Eastern Barbastelle, European Free-tailed Bat and Myotis frater.
Bats have evolved a highly sophisticated sense of hearing. They emit sounds that bounce off of objects in their path, sending echoes back to the bats. From these echoes, the bats can determine the size of objects, how far away they are, how fast they are traveling and even their texture, all in a split second.

Bats find shelter in caves, crevices, tree cavities and buildings. Some species are solitary while others form colonies of more than a million individuals. For their size, bats are the slowest reproducing mammals. At birth, a pup weighs up to 25 percent of its mother’s body weight, which is like a human mother giving birth to a 15kg baby. Offspring typically are cared for in maternity colonies, where females congregate to bear and raise the young. Male bats do not help to raise the pups.

In Uzbekistan the following bat species have been found (this list is not exhaustive but the main bat species in Uzbekistan are):

 Order: Chiroptera

Family: Vespertilionidae

Subfamily: Myotinae Genus: Myotis

Long-fingered bat Myotis capaccinii Vu

Geoffrey's bat Myotis emarginatus Vu

Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri Lr/Lc

Whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus Lr/Lc

Fraternal myotis Myotis frater Lr/Nt

Subfamily: Vespertilioninae Genus: Eptesicus

Bobrinski's bat Eptesicus bobrinskoi Lr/Lc

Botta's serotine Eptesicus bottae Lc

Serotine Eptesicus serotinus Lr/Lc

Northern Bat Eptesicus nilssonii  Lc

Subfamily: Vespertilioninae Genus: Nyctalus  

Lesser noctule Nyctalus leisleri Lr/Nt

Greater noctule bat Nyctalus lasiopterus Lr/Nt

Subfamily: Vespertilioninae Genus: Pipistrellus

Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus Lc

Kuhl’s pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii Lc

Savi’s pipistrelle Hypsugo savii Lc

Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
Genus: Hemprichii

Hemprich's long eared Bat Otonycteris hemprichii Lc.

Order: Chiroptera

Family: Rhinolophidae 

Subfamily: Rhinolophinae Genus: Rhinolophus

Bokhara horseshoe Bat Rhinophus bocharicus Lr/Lc

Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum Lr/Nt

Lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros Lc

Notes:

Vu vulnerable  Lr/Lc  Low Risk/Less concern Lr/Nt Low risk/Not threatened