Northern bat
Eptesicus nilssonii (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839)
The northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii), also called the Northern serotine, is a bat in the family Vespertilionidae and the order Chiroptera. It is a small mammal with an adult body mass of 10.72 g, with sources reporting values from 8 to 13 g.
Quick facts about the northern bat
This nocturnal invertivore forages in the air and lives in forest habitat. It has 1 litter per year of 1 to 2 young, its lifespan is given as 15.5 years and up to 20 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
- Weight
- 8 g – 13 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 15.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 20 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the northern bat
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the northern bat live?
Not recorded
What is the northern bat?
The northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) is the most abundant species of bat in northern Eurasia occurring from France to Hokkaidō and south to Kazakhstan.
From the Wikipedia article “Northern bat” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_bat&oldid=1381169625), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the northern bat sound like?
Is the northern bat endangered?
The northern bat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the northern bat classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderChiroptera
- familyVespertilionidae
- genusEptesicus
- SpeciesEptesicus nilssonii (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839)
Synonyms Cnephaeus nilssonii, Eptesicus atratus, Eptesicus borealis, Eptesicus nilssoni, Eptesicus nilssonii nilssonii, Eptesicus nilssonii parvus, Eptesicus nilssonii parvus, Eptesicus parvus, Fespertilio nilssonii, Vespertilio borealis, Vespertilio nilssonii, Vesperugo nilssonii, Vesperus nilssonii
Other names and names in other languages (1)
- Northern serotineEnglish
Relatives of the northern bat
Other species in the same genus Eptesicus.
Serotine bat
Eptesicus serotinus
Big brown bat
Eptesicus fuscus
Botta's serotine
Eptesicus bottae
Gobi big brown bat
Eptesicus gobiensis
Argentine brown bat
Eptesicus furinalis
Brazilian brown bat
Eptesicus brasiliensis
CompareNorthern bat vs Serotine batNorthern bat vs Big brown batNorthern bat vs Botta's serotineNorthern bat vs Gobi big brown bat
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the northern bat?
The northern bat is a mammal, a bat in the family Vespertilionidae within the order Chiroptera.
How much does a northern bat weigh?
An adult Northern bat weighs 10.72 g, with sources reporting values from 8 to 13 g.
What does the northern bat eat?
The northern bat is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore. It forages in the air at night.
What habitat does the northern bat live in?
The northern bat lives in forest habitat.
Is the northern bat endangered?
No. The northern bat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a northern bat live?
The northern bat's lifespan is given as 15.5 years, and up to 20 years.
How many young does the northern bat have?
The northern bat has 1 to 2 young per litter and 1 litter per year.
Who named the northern bat?
The northern bat, Eptesicus nilssonii, was named by Keyserling & Blasius in 1839, written as (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-bat
“Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-bat.
@misc{northern_bat_2026,
title = {Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-bat},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}