Sardinian long-eared bat

P. sardus is a small bat with a head-and-body length of about , ears of about and a weight of up to . The snout is cone-shaped with a fleshy knob on the chin. The ears are oval and joined above the forehead by a fine membrane. The tragus is tapered with a blunt tip and is half as long as the ear. The wing membranes are attached to the rear part of the base of the fifth toe. The tail is long and extends a short way beyond the interfemoral membrane. The fur is fine, long and woolly and is greyish-brown dorsally and whitish or pale brown ventrally. The wing membranes are brown. Two features which distinguish this bat from related species are the cylindrical penis in males and the short, Y-shaped penile bone. ==Ecology and distribution==

The Sardinian long-eared bat is only known from three caves where it roosts. Two of these are in the Gennargentu National Park and one near the coast. It hunts in forests at low elevation and favors calcareous terrain. ==Conservation and threats==

The primary threat to the Sardinian long-eared is climate change, which has resulted in recurring wildfires around its reproductive areas and in precipitation and temperature extremes during the summer. Secondary threats include direct human interference and competition with invasive feral pigeons for nesting sites. Due to its uniqueness and restricted range P. sardus requires a very specific management strategy for its protection to be successful. ==References==