Daubenton's Bat
Daubenton's Bat
Mammal
Daubenton's bat is Britain's 'water bat', skimming fast and low over rivers and lakes at dusk. It scoops insects straight off the water with its oversized feet and tail, like a tiny furry fishing net.
💡 Fun Facts
- Daubenton's is the 'water bat'. It hunts by skimming low over rivers and lakes and scooping insects straight off the surface with its big back feet and tail — like a tiny, furry fishing net.
- Its flying is so distinctive you can name it by behaviour alone: fast, flat circuits just above calm water, like a miniature hovercraft gliding across the river.
- Look for its clean, silvery-white belly, bare pink face, and feet far bigger than any other similar bat's — all built for its life skimming the water.
🔍 How to spot it
- Size
- Medium-small — wingspan about 24 to 27 cm, about the weight of a £1 coin.
- Markings
- Fluffy brown fur above and clean silvery-white below, with a bare, pinkish face.
- Features
- Surprisingly large hind feet — its scooping tool — and a big tail membrane; no strange flap on its nose (some bats, like the horseshoe bats, have one).
- Behaviour
- Flies fast and flat just above calm water, in steady circuits, like a tiny hovercraft skimming the river, snatching insects off the surface with its feet.
- Where & when
- Over calm fresh water — rivers, canals, lakes and ponds — all across the UK; the bat you see skimming a river or canal at dusk.
- Easily confused with
- Several similar bats (the mouse-eared bats) look alike in the hand, but no other UK bat skims right over the water on oversized feet with a silvery-white belly — its low water-skimming flight gives it away.
📅 Through the Year
- Hibernation:November to March
- Active:April to October
- Maternity/Breeding:June to July
Name Story
Myotis daubentonii
means “Daubenton's mouse-ear”
What does its name mean?
- mys / myos — mouseGreek
- ous / otos — earGreek
- daubentonii — named in honour of Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, a French naturalista person's name
Myotis means 'mouse-ear', and that's just what this is — a little mouse-eared bat, famous for skimming low over water to scoop up insects. The rest of the name honours Louis Daubenton, a French naturalist from long ago.
📄 Educational Handout Available
Download the printable infographic: Bat Life Cycle
📄 Educational Handout Available
Download the printable infographic: How Bats Hunt & Eat
📄 Educational Handout Available
Download the printable infographic: Where Bats Live