Bats from azokh caves

Abstract

Azokh Cave is well-known in the Caucasus not only for its archaeological interest, but also for sheltering large colonies of bats, some of which are rare in the region. During the summer the bat communities in the cave include individuals of at least four different species. Both the Lesser Mouse-eared Bat (Myotis blythii) and Schreiber’s Long-fingered Bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) form large breeding colonies, but abandon the cave during the winter. Another two species, Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi) and the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), can be found roosting in the cave all year round. During the active season, the colonies of R. mehelyi reach several thousand individuals, being the largest grouping of this species known in the Caucasus. Excavations in the sediments preserved in the cave, dating from the late middle Pleistocene to Recent, contain evidence that the same four species have been roosting in Azokh Cave for at least the past 300 kyr, accompanied by several other species. However, species richness and relative abundances have varied during this time interval as shown by the thanatocoenosis preserved in the different layers of Azokh 1. The species represented in these assemblages differ in their habitat preferences, and have been used as a means of interpreting the changes that took place in the surrounding environment during this time, mainly concerning vegetation and forest development.