Mammals

It is not often that new mammal species are discovered in our latitudes. Accordingly, there was great excitement among experts when the Alcathoe bat was detected in Bavaria for the first time in 2012 - a bat species that is very closely associated with old deciduous forests.

Martens are often active in settled areas, but they can also be spotted in the forest. If you want to know whether you have just encountered a stone marten or a pine marten, you will find the most important distinguishing features here.

The European hare is a characteristic species of our agricultural landscape. As a beneficiary of cultivated landscapes, the hare has spread successfully throughout Europe - although its numbers have been declining since the beginning of the 20th century. So what is causing this?

Long tail and black eel line - this is how the extremely rare forest birch mouse can be recognized. Two specimens have now been rediscovered in the Bavarian Forest.

A shadow whizzes through the trees. Let's see what it is - a squirrel. But wow: It's not red like we thought. It has a reddish-brown, almost black coat. Is it possibly an introduced gray squirrel?

Even in ancient times, the European hare was considered to be a symbol of fertility. At the height of "March madness", it is particularly easy to observe hares. The best time to see them is early in the morning on sunny spring days in March or April.

Known as a “garden dormouse”, this dormouse nevertheless prefers to live in the forest. The second part of its name, probably derived from the stem of the French verb dormir, “to sleep”, seems more appropriate – it sleeps all day during the summer, and hibernates from October to April. So it is no wonder that this little animal with the big black eyes and pretty face is only seldom to be seen.

The wildcat was extinct in Bavaria. Now it is back, especially in the northern part. A monitoring programme based on DNA-analysis provides information on them.

The mythological meanings of the fox, the lynx and the wolf are surprisingly manifold. Besides their known negative characteristics, very positive attributes are accredited to these animals. Recognizing these positive characteristics in myths may be a successful approach to the objective of stimulating the public's acceptance of large predators.