The key facts

  • The Turkmen long-eared bat (Plecotus turkmenicus) has been confirmed in the fauna of Uzbekistan for the first time — the find was made in the South Ustyurt National Park.
  • The species is considered rare and poorly studied: over the past 55 years it has hardly been encountered in the wild.
  • The expedition took place under the IUCN project 'One Health in Nature Conservation', funded by Germany's IKI.

First confirmation of the species in the country's fauna

Scientists at the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, together with foreign researchers, have for the first time discovered the Turkmen long-eared bat (Plecotus turkmenicus) in the country. The rare bat species was recorded in the South Ustyurt National Natural Park. This was reported by the academy's press service. Maria Gritsina, a researcher at the institute, noted that this is the first confirmed record of the Turkmen long-eared bat in the fauna of Uzbekistan.

A poorly studied species not seen in the wild for 55 years

According to the Academy of Sciences, the Turkmen long-eared bat is distributed in Central Asia but remains extremely rare and poorly studied. Information about it is based mainly on observations and museum specimens collected before 1970. Over the past 55 years, the species has hardly been encountered by researchers in its natural habitat.

How the find was made

The find was made during an expedition organized as part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) project 'One Health in Nature Conservation'. The project is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment.