As a part of the bat research in the Děčín district (northern Bohemia, Czech Republic), two automatic detectors were installed at two locations, i.e. in the Labe (Elbe) river canyon near Hřensko and at the Pavlínka pond near Jetřichovice, for a period from April to September 2016. The acoustic…

Bats of four islands of the Dodecanese Archipelago (Astypalea, Kalymnos, Symi, Megisti) were studied for the first time. The bat fauna of these islands comprises eleven species and the faunas of the particular islands are composed of five (on Astypalea) to nine (on Symi) species. Three species of…

The magnitude, composition, temporal and spatial patterns of mammal road mortality were assessed along some sections of two different road types (I/51 and R1) connecting the towns of Banská Bystrica, Zvolen and Banská Štiavnica (Central Slovakia). Road kills were surveyed using a car, three or four…

We report on the results of a short-term research of mammals of the Plánický hřeben ridge, a mountain range in south-western Bohemia. Altogether, 62 species of mammals (68.1% of the mammalian fauna of the Czech Republic) have been recorded (eight eulipotyphlans, 18 bats, 15 rodents, 13 carnivores,…

Twelve bats species representing four families (Rhinolophidae, Miniopteridae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae) were recorded in sites representing nine different habitats of the El Kala Biosphere Reserve and its vicinity in northeastern Algeria. Myotis emarginatus showed the highest frequency, it…

In the last decades, large carnivores – the grey wolf (Canis lupus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), and to a certain extent also the wildcat (Felis silvestris) – have increased their distribution ranges throughout Europe. Monitoring of their current distribution and…

Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that have chronic toxicity, tendency to contaminate the environment, and transfer into the food chain. This study was conducted to explore the use of bats as bioindicators to help…

This review focuses on the aspects of biology of the elk (Alces alces) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) related to disturbance and barrier effect of highways. The information concerning home range size, migratory and dispersal movements and susceptibility to anthropogenic disturbances as well as…

The stone marten (Martes foina) population has increased dramatically in the Czech Republic in the last few decades, especially in urban areas. Unfortunately, very little is known about feeding ecology and diet of the species in the country, particularly in Bohemia. Therefore, the aim of our study…

We highlight the use of the bat (Chiroptera) in the Florentine Renaissance art. Michelangelo Buonarrrroti, Bernardo Buontalenti, Albrecht Dürer and several others used images of bats in their sketches, sculptures and decorations and many bat images are still to be seen on the palaces and monuments…

The study of personality, and individual differences in behaviour has experienced a steady rise in popularity in the past years. In this review and meta-analysis, we aim to introduce the concept of personality and related phenomena. A behavioural trait should meet two basic conditions to be…

An albino specimen of the water vole (Arvicola amphibius) collected at Kravaře, Opava dist. (Silesia, Czech Republic), on 17 May 1965, has been recently examined in the collection of the Šariš Museum Bardejov, Slovakia.

Two bat species, the Greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferruequinum) and Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) were recorded in the foothills of the Šumava Mts. (Bohemian Forest), south-western Bohemia, for the first time. An adult female of R. ferrumequinum was found dead in a cellar of the…

The bat hibernaculum, situated on the right bank of the Vltava river near Třebenice, approximately 300 metres under the dam of the Slapy water reservoir (49,82232913° N, 14,43661106° E), was discovered in 2010. The bats use a bypass tunnel quarried in 1949–1951 during the construction of the dam.…

The Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) was recorded in Bohemia for the first time. An adult female was found in a house in the Hradec Králové town during reconstruction on 18 January 2016. The bat was transported to a wildlife rescue station in Jaroměř and kept until April, then it was…

Pups of Myotis emarginatus exhibit bold markings in their natal coat. They consist of a neck band, a dorsal middle stripe, and a diamond-shaped spot in the distal part of the back. Furthermore, the posterior side of the ears shows a conspicuous pattern. These markings slowly disappear in the course…

The bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) was found near the railway station at Horní Blatná, Krušné hory Mts., 870 m a. s. l., on 10 September 2017. It is the highest altitude record of C. leucodon in the Czech Republic, where this species is considered to be a typical inhabitant of…

Only 62 individuals of the Przewalski’s horse (Equus przewalskii) were brought from the wild to captivity during the period of the known existence of their wild population (1881 – ca. 1968), 24 males and 30 females in 1899–1903; 1 male and 4 females in 1942–1945; 1 male and 2 females in 1947. Of…

Eighty-two species or other forms of rare mammals were kept in 19 zoological gardens of the Czech Republic and Slovakia as of 1 January 2016. Two mammal species extinct in the wild (EW category of the IUCN) were bred in the zoos in 2015. Of the kept 29 critically endangered species (CR), 17 bred…