There is a report in my German newspaper of the greater horseshoe-nose bat that had made a comeback in the Hohenburg area in Germany – albeit only through sustained efforts of conservationists. They made sure the bats had suitable roosting places, and that enough cows were around to produce the dung favored by dung beetles that the bats like to catch in flight !
Photo from Der Tagesspiegel newspaper (I could not resist adding the red lettering). Translation: The Value of the Nose Tip. Only 11 Greater Horseshoe Nose Bats were found in the 80s in the Hohenburg area. Since that time, there are now again more than 200 animals’. The bat is about 12 cm (5″) with a wingspan of 35 cm (14″). The horseshoe nose is for generating beeps for echolocation (the echoes then picked up by their special ears, of course).
