Первые наблюдения за летучими мышами в девственной пещере (пещера Чекановского, Восточная Сибирь)

Abstract

The cave was mapped by A. Chekanovsky in 1873, but until 2018 it was not visited by people, as it is located in a sparsely populated and difficult to access area. To date, it has been established that this is a complex karst labyrinth with a length of more than 3 km, located in the mountain taiga about 50 km northwest of Lake Baikal (Olkhonsky district of the Irkutsk region). In 2019-2021 the first data on bats (Chiroptera) were collected in the Chekanovsky Cave. Visual observations were carried out at the entrance and inside the cave, 40 bats were caught with mist nets, subfossil remains of bat skeletons (n=1041) were collected. 7 species of bats were found, including 3 species included in the Red Book of Irkutsk region. The frequency of finds based on the results of identifying subfossil skulls was: Plecotus ognevi (78.9%), Murina hilgendorfi (10.5%), Myotis sibirica (10.5%), Myotis ikonnikovi (5.0%), Myotis frater (1.1%), Eptesicus nilssonii (0.3%), Myotis petax (0.1%). Only the first three species are represented in net catches: P. ognevi (81.6%), M. hilgendorfi (12.1%), M. sibirica (2.1%). The modern habitat of M. ikonnikovi and E. nilssonii in the cave was established from photographs and finds of recently dead animals. A group M. hilgendorfi (n=13) that looked sick were discovered in a cave in August 2021. Single specimens of bats of at least 4 species were found in a state of hibernation when examining the cave in late autumn and winter. Signs of swarming were noted in autumn. The discovery of a large number of skeletal remains of bats and the presence of several species of bats in different seasons of the year indicate that the cave has served as an important refuge for these animals for a long time. The cave has not been completely covered and is promising as an object for further scientific research. The results of the first observations of bats are considered as an argument in favor of a positive decision to give the Chekanovsky Cave area the status of a specially protected natural area of regional significance.