Bat (Barbastella barbastellus guanchae)

Small bat (forearm length, 37-42 mm), uniformly blackish-brown, but without the whitish-golden back that gives it the characteristic frosted appearance of continental populations; the ears are joined together across the forehead. The subspecies B. barbastellus guanchae is endemic to the Canaries, where it is only found on Tenerife and La Gomera, although the nominate species has a much wider distribution area. It is found from sea level to 1,700 m, but favours evergreen and pine forests. It shelters in natural and man-made caves, water galleries, bridges and derelict buildings, and reliable sources also report it roosting in the hollows of dead trees, as in Europe and Morocco. Availability of data on reproduction is scant, but females are known to suckle their young in July. This bat is an insectivore, like other Canary Islands Cheiroptera, and distribution may depend on dietary specificity, which is based on small nocturnal lepidoptera. This rare bat has never been seen in large colonies, despite enjoying a relatively broad distribution area in Tenerife and adapting to a wide range of ecosystems. The threats to this species include the loss of woodland, the disappearance of aged trees for roosting, use of fertilizer and human encroachment. Undoubtedly, this endemic subspecies has the smallest population of bats in the Canaries, which makes it rather vulnerable.