Rare night bat listed in Red Book spotted in E Kazakhstan
A rare Ikonnikov's bat, listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and regarded as one of the least studied bats in the world, was spotted in the territory of the Katon-Karagay National Park, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Irina Bayeva, a park worker, captured the image of the rare bat.
Ikonnikov's bat is a species of vesper bat typical of southern Siberia. The species was named after Russian nobleman and entomologist Nikolai Ikonnikov. From a scientific perspective, this bat remains least studied, according to the national park.
Specialists note that the species had previously been recorded only in certain areas of the Altai Mountain region in Kazakhstan.
Earlier, Ikonnikov’s bat was observed only in the western part of Altai — near the village of Chernovaya in the Katon-Karagay district, as well as on the Tigirets ridge. Therefore, the new sighting holds significant scientific importance.
Ikonnikov’s bat inhabits forest and mountain-taiga zones, prefers areas with minimal human interference, and feeds on flying insects.
Ecologists emphasize that the discovery of this rare species confirms the high conservation value of the Katon-Karagay National Park and its key role in preserving biodiversity in East Kazakhstan.
Earlier, a rare Altai snowcock (Tetraogallus altaicus), native to high sheer cliffs, was captured by a National Park camera trap.
