- Who
- Brandt's bat, Myotis brandtii
- Where
- Russian Federation ()
- When
As reported in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A on 1 November 2005, a Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii) discovered in a cave in the Biryusa region of Siberia in Russia was aged to be at least 41 years old, having been banded in 1964. The range of this species covers most of Europe as well as certain pockets of Asia. Its small size – only weighing 5–7 grams (0.1–02 ounces) – and long lifespan defy the conventional pattern that larger mammals live long and smaller mammals die young. According to its longevity quotient – a theoretical lifespan estimate calculated on mammalian body size – this specimen lived 9.8 times longer than would be expected.
Thirteen members of the Myotis genus have been documented surpassing 20 years of age – far more than their size would logically allow.
The previous oldest Brandt's bat recorded before this was 38, as described in the journal Plecotus in 2001.
The 2005 study was a collaboration between the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies in Texas, USA, and the Stolby Nature Reserve in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
