Lesser
Horseshoe Bat
This tiny bat is the smaller of the two UK species.
It is called the lesser horsehoe bat Rhinolophus
hipposideros. It is so called because the nose-leaf
that it uses to broadcast its calls, at 115 kHz, is in the shape
of a horseshoe.
This
bat was found in a transport cafe toilet and had obviously hitched
a ride on some lorry. There is no known colony of this species
in Sussex so, as it was winter, the bat was healthy and a good
weight, it was released into a safer hibernation site, out of
harms way.
