-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bats
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bats of Otago
Did you know that Otago has two types of bats, and our endemic microbats are the only land mammals native to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our tiny bats in Aotearoa New Zealand are the size of a thumb and weigh the amount of an AA battery.
Two indigenous bat species have been identified as present in, or near, Otago: the pekapeka-tou-roa or the long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) and the pekapeka-tou-poto or the southern lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata tuberculata).
Southern lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata tuberculata). Photo: Ian Davidson Watts (All Rights Reserved).
Long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus). Photo: Ian Davidson Watts (All Rights Reserved).
Our bats are nocturnal (active at night) and use very high-pitched sounds (called echo-location that is mostly above the range of human hearing) to navigate. The sounds they make are reflected back, and they use these reflections to locate and avoid objects in their path and to hunt.
Our bats also have small bodies and relatively large wings, perfect for squeezing many bats into a roost and for flying in forests. Unusually for bats, the lesser short-tailed bat is also agile on the ground, often foraging for food on the forest floor by using its folded wings as limbs.
A third indigenous bat species is regionally extinct, the greater short-tailed bat (Mystacina robusta).
The greater short-tailed bat and lesser short-tailed bat are the only remaining examples of the Mystacina family of bats in the world.
Māori folklore refer to bats as pekapeka and associate them with the mythical, night-flying bird, hōikioi, which foretells death or disaster.
In a regional threat assessment, the pekapeka-tou-roa or the long-tailed bat was identified as Regionally Critical, the most severely threatened status, and the pekapeka-tou-poto or the southern lesser short-tailed bat as Regionally Data Deficient, due to information lacking so that an assessment was not possible.
The greater short-tailed bat was identified as Regionally Extinct, because this species has not been seen since 1967, with this happening outside Otago.
A species list of bats in Otago can be downloaded below.
Regional threat assessments
We have published threat assessments on various species' groups in our region, including bats.
Reports and publications - biodiversity
We have developed a range of resources on indigenous biodiversity in Otago, including regional threat assessment reports, educational factsheets and posters about species, and an online native planting guide to inform ecological restoration efforts.
To find out more about pekapeka (bats) in Aotearoa New Zealand, visit the Te Papa Atawhai – Department of Conservation (DOC) website.
Have you spotted a pekapeka? Take a photo or make an audio recording and upload your observation to iNaturalist, including the location and date, to help improve our knowledge of Aotearoa New Zealand’s bats. You can also report sightings to DOC through its Resources for bat workers webpage.
Te Papa Atawhai – Department of Conservation (DOC)
DOC’s website has information about pekapeka in Aotearoa New Zealand, including information on species, distribution, conservation status, ecology, threats and conservation management.
iNaturalist – Mātaki Taiao
iNaturalist is an online-access participatory science project where you can record and share observations on plants, fungi, and animals, including pekapeka (bats), contributing to scientific research and conservation efforts.
Resources for bat workers
DOC’s Resources for bat workers webpage provides information on how to report pekapeka sightings to the national bat database.
