Creatures and Features: Bats/Pekapeka

Bats are Aotearoa’s only native land mammal. There are two species: the long-tailed bat and the less common short-tailed bat, both of which are found in the Hauraki District!

Long-tailed bats are smaller than the short-tailed bat, chestnut brown in colour, have small ears and weigh 8–11 grams. They are believed to produce only one offspring each year.

Their echo-location calls include a relatively low frequency component which can be heard by some people, though most calls are at a frequency of 40 kHz which is higher than people can hear.

They can fly at 60 kmph and a bat colony can have a range of more than 100 km².

They feed on small moths, midges, mosquitoes and beetles.