A record-breaking “Olympia” bat flew more than 1,200 miles from London Russia But eventually he was killed by a cat.
The female Nathusius’ pipistrelle bat, weighing only 8 grams, was found on the ground after a 1,254-mile journey after being attacked by a cat.
She was rescued by the Russian Bat Rehabilitation Team, but later died.
This bat was discovered by Svetlana Lapina in the small village of Moglino in the Pskov region.
Nathusius’ pipistrelle is only the size of a human thumb, and its wings are marked with a “London Zoo” ring.
In 2016, bat recorder Brian Briggs discovered it in Bedfont Lakes Country Park near Heathrow Airport in west London.
Briggs said: “This is very exciting. I am very happy to contribute to international conservation efforts to protect these extraordinary animals and learn more about their fascinating lives.”
This trip is one of the longest known bat trips in the world and the farthest known record in the UK Europe And the only recorded long-distance movement from west to east.
Most previous records were of men flying southwest from Latvia. This achievement is second only to another bat in Europe: a Nathusius pipistrelle, which migrated from Latvia to 1,381 miles in 2019.
Lisa Worledge, head of protection services at the Bat Conservation Trust, said: “This is an extraordinary journey and the longest bat journey we know of from the UK across Europe. What an Olympian. !
“Her journey is an exciting scientific discovery and another part of the mystery of bat migration. The movement of Nathusius’ pipistrelles around England and between England and the European continent remains largely mysterious.”
Bat experts in Russia and the United Kingdom are interested in this record because the expansion of Nathusius’ pipistrelle is related to climate change. More information is essential to fully understand these effects.
Since the national Nathusius Pipistrelle project was launched in 2014, the United Kingdom has recorded more than 2,600 Nathusius Pipistrelle to clarify their reproduction, distribution and migration behavior. Maternal settlements are known in Kent, Northumberland, Surrey and Greater London.
