Little Forest Bat

Family: Vespertilionidae
Scientific name: Vespadelus vulturnus

Where they roost:
Hollows in old trees, buildings, and timber stacks. Up to 50 bats roost together in a colony. Some bats have been seen sharing a nest with possums.

What they eat:
These bats hunt small insects that fly through forests. They are agile fliers, able to manoeuvre as they move through the forest after their prey. They usually eat their prey as they fly. They will land on trees to eat if they catch large prey.

Conservation threats:
Vulnerable to loss of roost sites in tree hollows and loss of feeding grounds by forestry activities, clearing for agriculture and housing.

Other information:
They breed once a year and produce only one baby in the summer. Females carry their baby when they go out to hunt at night. When the babies are too big to be carried, but too young to fly, their mothers leave them in the roost, returning during the night to feed them.

Photo © G Little/Nature Focus