Ecology Beavers create habitats for bats
Beavers help bats. A new study shows that more bats hunt in beaver territories than outside them.
13.11.2025, 08:50
SDA
In addition, more bat species occur in beaver ponds, including more endangered species, as the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) announced on Thursday.
For the study, which was published in the "Journal of Animal Ecology", the researchers from WSL and the aquatic research institute Eawag compared sections of eight rivers on the Swiss Plateau with and without beaver dams.
The result: an average of five bat species were found per night in sections with beavers, and only four in sections without beavers. In addition, endangered species on the Red List flew more frequently at beaver ponds. The bats also hunted 2.3 times more frequently in beaver territories than in the control sections.
According to the researchers, the success of bats in beaver territories can be attributed to the better quality of life in these areas. The tree population is more open and diverse, there is more dead wood and a greater number of insects - ideal conditions for the bats. According to the WSL, endangered species such as the pug bat also benefit from the habitats created by beavers, as the dead trees created by beaver activity provide shelter.
