Sarah reminded me that New Zealand has one native land mammal: Bats (Pekapeka). There are two surviving endemic genera of bat, the long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus) and the short-tailed bat (Mystacina), belonging to two family groups. The long-tailed bat has a membrane attached to the full length of its tail (which is used to scoop up insects on-the-wing), while the short-tailed species has a short, free tail, hence the descriptive names. Both species are fully protected.




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