Rare Turkmen long-eared bat found in Uzbekistan for the first time

Scientists from the Institute of Zoology of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, working with foreign colleagues, have for the first time recorded the Turkmen long-eared bat (Plecotus turkmenicus), a rare and little-studied bat species, on the country's territory. The bat was found in the Southern Ustyurt National Nature Park.

The species is considered extremely rare. Information about it was previously based mainly on data collected before 1970 and on museum specimens. The bat had practically not been encountered in its natural habitat over the past 55 years.

The discovery was made during an expedition organised under the international project 'One Health in Nature Conservation'. The project is implemented with the participation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment.