26 June 2024

Greater Horseshoe Bat

The greater horseshoe bats are among the rarest bats in the UK, mostly living in South-West England or South Wales. They feed on various insects like dung beetles, and they thrive in landscapes with tall, bushy edges and permanent pastures.

The species is considered “Near Threatened”, while not currently endangered, they face significant risks that could impact their population if not properly managed

35 - 40 cm Wingspan

This large wingspan helps them to be agile fliers and effective hunters of insects.

Years Average Lifespan

This makes them one of the longer-lived bat species within the UK.

Valentina Usai Zucca

Watch a video about what inspired Valentina to choose the Greater Horseshoe Bat for her entry into the Endless Forms, Most Beautiful exhibition and what inspires her to make print.

Valentina makes prints using a technique called Linocutting. This involves mark making using tools of different widths.

A UNIQUE NOSE SHAPE!

The greater horseshoe bat gets its name from the horseshoe-shaped flap of skin around its nose. This special shape helps the bat to use echolocation, which is like its own built-in sonar system to find insects to eat in the dark.

How to help!

Everyone can help the bat population, check out some examples below:

Report Sitings

If. you see a red squirrel in the wild you can report the siting to XYZ.

No to pesticides

Pesticides are used to kill insects on crops. These can reducenumber of insects available for the bats to eat, and sometimes the bats can get sick if they eat insects that have been sprayed with pesticides.

Share the word

Everything is better together, spread the news to your family and friends

Get Creative

Download our Bat art worksheet to create your own masterpiece! And don't forget to share your class images to our school gallery.

Find out more

Check out these links to find out more about Bats in the UK: