Additional locality records for the golden jackal from Saudi Arabia are given based on camera trappings and a roadkill, along with an updated map of its distribution. Considering the limited distribution of this species, and due to indiscriminate killing of canids in Saudi Arabia, this species…

Distribution of Sicista betulina in the Šumava Mts. (Bohemian Forest, SW Bohemia, Czech Republic) based on owl diet analysis (Rodentia: Zapodidae). The Šumava Mountains are one of the three areas of a relict occurrence of the northern birch mouse (Sicista betulina) in the Czech Republic. The present…

A list of 58 specimens of bats belonging to 16 species of six families originating from Benin, housed in the collection of the National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic, is presented in a systematic review. The specimens represent 24 new records (species vs. locality) of bats from Benin. The species…

An analysis of the past geographical and altitudinal distribution of bone remains of the elk (Alces alces) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Bulgaria is given. The data from seven fossil localities (Early–Late Pleistocene) from four provinces in the country are presented. The fossil record in…

The effect of urbanisation on size and fat stores in bats has been poorly studied. We compare morphometric data in bats from two areas in the West Midlands, UK: one predominantly agricultural and one built-up. We examined forearm length and fat stores in 1,102 bats of five species (Myotis…

Despite intensive studies on the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), little is known about current spatial and temporal dynamics of red fox populations. This study analysed the spatial and temporal changes of red fox populations in the south-western part of Poland in relation to main factors shaping the…

Relationships between morphological traits and their ecological function frequently result in patterns that are consistently observed within taxa. It was under this premise that the fossils of the coldadapted, shaggy-coated fossil woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis was compared to those of…

In Latvia, dormice were one of the less studied mammal taxonomic groups until the 21st century, due to their elusive way of life. Historical threat assessments of dormouse species conducted in the 1970s and 1990s were constrained by a scarcity of observations, primarily relying on accidental…

In Western culture, for centuries the figure of the bat has been associated with the forces of evil, with demons living in the dark, in the most hidden recesses of human fears. Some characteristics of demons of the pagan world (dark color of the body, wings, etc.) pass into the Christian iconography…

The present study deals with the use of the dried eye lens weight as an indicator of age in the Egyptian fruit bat. The accuracy of this tool is checked by comparison with some traditional tools used for age determination in bats; i.e., forearm length, and the third and fifth digit lengths. Fruit…

Using phototrapping, we compared hibernation phenologies and winter activities displayed by four Myotis species (M. emarginatus, M. daubentonii, M. bechsteinii and M. nattereri) hibernating in Hermann’s Cave in the winter 2018/2019. These congeneric species were deemed to be comparable as they are…

The permanent breeding range of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Europe was restricted to the Black Sea coast and Balkans in the 1960s. From the 1980s, a rapid and steady increase of the species occurrence has been documented throughout Europe. The observations of single individuals prevail, the…

Nest boxes were used to monitor a population of edible dormice (Glis glis) for 24 years. Details were recorded of reproductive condition, age and co-habitation by ca. 10,000 tagged individuals. Age at first breeding, periodic failure to breed, ‘absenteeism’ among adults, changing litter size with…

Morphometry of limb bones in hares and rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae). Members of the genera Lepus and Oryctolagus are highly adapted to specific environmental conditions. This adaptation includes particularly the long bones of the locomotion system. Different segments of limbs did not adapt in the…

Vocal communication is the main mean of communication for cetaceans and some species developed vocal culture and traditions. They are maintained through both production and contextual learning, used to acquire two types of sounds: signature calls and songs. Signature calls are present only in…

Determining the exact numbers of introduced or invasive species is generally complicated. The mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) has been bred in the territory of the present Czech Republic since the 18th century as a game. It is known from archival sources when and through which channels the species…

Remarkably high age found in Myotis emarginatus and Myotis brandtii from Slovakia (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). New longevity records of the Geoffroy’s bat (Myotis emarginatus) and Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii) were made in eastern Slovakia with the help of ringing. The minimum age of twenty…

Nursery colonies of three bat species of the genus Myotis (M. daubentonii, M. dasycneme, M. nattereri) sharing the same roost in eastern Slovakia (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Maternity colonies of three Myotis species were documented for the first time in the Východoslovenská rovina (East…

The first record of Nyctalus leisleri in Kosovo is here described. The record site is located at Hanroc village (42°37’N, 21°17’E; 667 m a. s. l.), approximately 10 km east/southeast of the capital city of Prishtinë.

A male greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferruequinum) was netted at the entrance to the abandoned Mauritius mine (50°23’32”N, 12°50’01”E; 1018 m a. s. l.) in the Krušné Hory Mts (Ore Mountains) on 2 September 2023. This is the first record of this species in north-western Bohemia and first record…

The paper presents three new findings of handicapped individuals of Pipistrellus kuhlii from the territory of the capital city of Prague in the years 2022 and 2023. All three individuals were admitted to the Wildlife Rescue Center in Prague. One find comes from the hibernation period, two finds come…

The Alpine shrew (Sorex alpinus) is considered probably extinct in the Pyrenees. However, newly published photographs of an ‘unknown shrew’ from the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in the Spanish part of the range indicate its recent occurrence in the mountains.