by Irina K. Rakhmatulina The Caucasus Mountains of Transcaucasia
are attractive for researchers because of their unique
landscapes, flora and fauna. Located between the Black and
Caspian Seas, they are occupied by a particularly diverse fauna
of bats, a result of south, east and west faunal migrations. Of
the 41 species of bats observed in the USSR, 25 can be found in
the small territory of Azerbaijan. Species also found in the
Mediterranean and Europe are dominant among them. The bat fauna
southwest of Azerbaijan in the Minor Caucasus Range is
especially unusual and diverse. The Common Pipistrelle
(Pipistrellus pipistrellus), a species whose preferred habitat
includes forest and cultured landscapes, is widespread, as is
Kuhl's Pipistrelle (P. kuhli), ordinarily found in deserts or
dry and mountainous steppes and almost exclusively inhabiting
human dwellings. Other common species are Serontine Bats
(Eptesicus serotinus), Greater Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus
ferrumequinum), Lesser Horseshoe Bats (R. hipposidero