Commemorative stamps, Croatian fauna – Bats

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(Blasius's horseshoe bat, Mediterranean long-eared bat, Redhead bat).

The stamps are issued in sheets of 20 stamps and booklets of 10 stamps and Croatian Post has also issued a first day cover and three maximum cards. A bat silhouette is visible under UV light.

Blasius's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus blasii) is the rarest species of horseshoe bat in Croatia. In addition to the findings on the island of Cres, Krk and Rab, it is limited to underground shelters (caves and pits) in the interior of the Mediterranean region.

Mediterranean long-eared bat (Plecotus kolumbatovici) is the smallest of the four species of this genus in Croatia. The characteristic of this bat genus are extremely large ears which are used for orientation and listening for pray. It is spread only on the coast, and on the Adriatic islands it is the only species of long-eared bats.

Redhead bat (Myotis emarginatus) is the forrest resident and it takes a variety of invertebrates off the twigs and leaves of trees and shrubs. The species is widespread but prefers warmer regions. Hence, the largest colonies in Croatia are found in caves and under roofs on the coast, and according to current information, it is one of most numerous population of this species in Europe.