Two-tone leather is a small-sized bat from the Smooth-Nosed family. Externally, this animal is not very attractive, but has an interesting structure and behavior, characteristic only for this species. That is why it is interesting to many animal lovers.
Spread
Two-tone leather is distributed in the center and in the west of Europe, in Asia, inhabits the territory of Ukraine. Prefers to settle in forests, in the steppes and mountains. It is sometimes found in megacities. This species is protected in reserves and reserves around the world, since there are great threats to its extinction. The cause of this situation was global changes in climatic conditions, insecticides, as well as the negative people in relation to all species of bats.
Accurate data on the number of leathers is not fixed. They are more likely fragmentary. Two-tone leather in the summer inhabits tree hollows, attics, spaces under eaves, rock cracks, etc. Sometimes these mice share their shelter with other bats. They are found in England and in France, Norway and central Russia, in Iran and China, in the Himalayas. In many regions, bi-color leather is considered a vulnerable species. The Red Book of the Perm Region, for example, a few years ago was replenished with these animals.
The species is not well understood, but there is an assumption that two-tone leather for the winter flies south. Two wintering of these animals were found in the Perm region and caves of Bashkiria. There is information about wintering in caves of the Sverdlovsk region.
Appearance
Two-tone leather in length does not exceed six and a half centimeters, and its wingspan reaches thirty-three centimeters. The weight of the animal ranges from twelve to twenty-four grams. This mouse on the back has a dark brown with a splash of red hair, fur. On the abdomen, it has a grayish tint.
The wings are noticeably narrowed, the ears are wide and round. Life expectancy is from five to twelve years. Hands are equipped with flying membranes, which are attached to the base of the fingers. The supraorbital lobes are highly developed.
Two-tone leather: behavior features
This animal flies out to hunt half an hour after sunset, but more often with the onset of deep dusk. He hunts all night, flying at an altitude of about thirty meters above the edges and glades, along mountain gorges, among trees, over steppes and even over water. The flight is very fast, reminiscent of a flight of party girls.
Two-tone leather is hunted using ultrasonic vibrations with a frequency of 25 kHz. When the weather is very cold or windy, leather may skip hunting. In areas where skin is widely distributed, it regulates the population of certain insects.
Since these bats are rare, researchers have not collected enough information. At the time of the birth of the young, the females form small colonies, in rare cases, large clusters, which include more than fifty individuals. Groups of males can reach two hundred and fifty animals, but more often they prefer loneliness.
Often, leathers migrate, flying rather large distances (about one and a half thousand kilometers). From October to March, two-tone leather hibernates. These mice hibernate, usually alone and tolerate temperatures up to -2.6 ° C. By their economic value, leathers are recognized as useful animals - they destroy many harmful insects.
