Auckland is one of the only cities in New Zealand that still has resident populations of long-tailed bats. To date long-tailed bats have been recorded in the Waitākere and Hunua Ranges, Riverhead, Pakiri and Swanson.
Five facts about long-tailed bats:
- adult long-tailed bats weigh 8-14g and have a wing-span of about 250mm
- they usually find roosts in large, old canopy trees (e.g. rimu, puriri, totara, pukatea), either beneath the bark or in cavities
- bats are social animals with colonies of 10-50 bats roosting and feeding together
- they are less active in winter, and can even enter a torpid (semi-hibernation) state during colder months
- Breeding females give birth to only one pup per year. Juveniles are carried during feeding flights by the mother until they reach adolescence at around 4-6 weeks.
Find out more about long-tailed bats or visit the Auckland Council Biodiversity Facebook page.
