Jan Cichocki

University of Zielona Góra | UZ · Department of Zoology

Twenty-two bat individuals were identified to the species level in published and unpublished data based on diet samples of Asio otus from Poland collected between 1989 and 2022. Of the seven species that made up the owl prey, Myotis nattereri (9 cases) and Plecotus auritus (6 cases) were by far the most numerous. The proportion of bats in the verte...

We describe a cases of main setts of European badger Meles meles being used by non-native raccoons Procyon lotor and raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides and native red foxes Vulpes vulpes in western Poland. From April to June 2022 and from November 2022 to mid-April 2023, we monitored the main badger setts (27 in spring and 14 in winter) using ca...

Amateur breeding of parrots as pets has contributed to many species being found in areas where they never occurred in the wild, particularly in warmer regions, but also in the temperate climates of North America and Europe. Climate change is likely to exacerbate this process. We hypothesised that parrots occurred in the wild in the cities of Poland...

For many years, the garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus was considered one of the rarest mammal species in Poland. A review of the available literature and museum specimens shows that much of the information about the localities where this species was found is incorrect. In the 19th century, but also in later times, the garden dormouse was confused w...

The Garden Dormouse ( Eliomys quercinus) , is the rarest species of the Gliridae family in Central Europe. So far, information on the occurrence of this species in Poland is based mainly on historical data in the literature. The presence of the Garden Dormouse is additionally confused by the occurrence of the Forest Dormouse ( Dryomys nitedula) of...

Dormice monitoring was carried out between 2014 and 2019 at 14 areas located in various regions of the Tatra National Park in Poland. The areas were located in various habitats: beech forests and spruce forests in the low mountain zone; spruce forests, windbreaks and mountain pine (Pinus mugo) thickets in the high mountain zone. The choice of the a...

The European badger plays an important role as a natural factor shaping species diversity in forests. Its extensive setts can be used by many other animals as shelters. Soil perturbations in their setts support plant communities that differ from the matrix landscape. The badger is also an effective seed disperser. We investigated its role as an eco...

We studied the impact of the new fenced and accident-safe motorway on the mortality of European badgers Meles meles on local roads in western Poland in 2010–2015. We monitored the badgers mortality on local roads of three categories: main roads, secondary roads and county roads. The study was conducted before and after the opening of the motorway i...

The raccoon Procyon lotor is an invasive species inhabiting Europe and its impact on local populations, particularly on endangered species, is not well known. The aim of the study was to determine whether raccoons pose a threat to bats wintering in the Nietoperek nature reserve, one of the largest hibernation sites in Central Europe. In the winter...

Badgers can gather huge quantities of organic material to build their nests for winter time and to rear their cubs. Moreover, badger burrows (setts) are characterized by specific microclimate with quite stable temperature and humidity. Their fauna is poorly studied, especially in respect of saprobiontic Uropodina mites. In 2018-2019, we monitored 9...

The setts of the European badger Meles meles can be cohabited during reproductive season by the red fox Vulpes vulpes and raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. There is no information on the possible impact of both species on the size of badgers’ litter. The aim of the study was to show the influence of cohabitation of the same setts by badger, rac...

Variation of habitats and resources important for farmland birds seems to be only partly captured by ordinary statistics on land-use and agricultural production. For instance, densities of rodents being prey for owls and raptors or structures of rural architecture providing nesting sites for many species are central for bird diversity but are not r...

Expressways act as barriers to animals that block free movement in their habitats, especially when the roads are continuously fenced to prevent collisions between animals and vehicles. Various types of animal passages have been repeatedly studied in terms of their utility, albeit rather less frequently in the suburban environment. We conducted our...

Patterns of body size variation along geographical gradients have long been searched for and generalized into eco‐geographical rules. However, no rodent species has yet been analyzed in relation to the three dimensions of latitude, longitude and altitude. We analyzed geographical clines and dimorphism of body and skull size in the herb field mouse...

Raccoon Procyon lotor is an invasive species introduced to Europe from North America. It is a food opportunist and it is considered to be serious threat to biodiversity. There are no reports on predation of raccoon on bats. Presence of the species is noted in underground sites, that are used by bats for hibernation, but it is unknown whether raccoo...

Bat wings are characterized by high endurance, and these mammals have developed a number of adaptations that protect them from falling into obstacles and potential injuries. However, in bat populations, there are individuals with visible fresh or healed injuries to the flight–enabling body parts. The aim of this research was to determine the differ...

The monitoring of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius was carried out in 2014-2018. the monitored area (5 study plots) covered the Strążyska Valley (1 study plot), Spadowa Valley (1 study plot), Chochołowska Valley (2 study plots) and the Kościeliska Valley (1 study plot). Thirty monitoring boxes for the hazel dormouse were hung in each plo...

The herb field mouse (Apodemus uralensis) is widely but not continuously distributed across Europe and Asia, with new localities for the species being recently registered in the southern, northern, north-western and eastern parts of the species distribution range. We analyzed geographic variation of body and skull size of A. uralensis (over 600 ind...

In this study, generic composition of food and foraging preferences of the European beaver were determined on sites where the beavers were reintroduced after more than 200 years of absence. Research area was located on lowland (Silesian Lowland) and highland habitats (Bystrzyckie Mountains, Wałbrzyskie Mountains) in western Poland. During the study...

During the last 60 years in Poland 34 cases of aberrant colouration in bats of the following species have been recorded: Rhinolophus hipposideros, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis mystacinus, Myotis nattereri, Myotis myotis, Eptesicus serotinus, Barbastella barbastellus and Plecotus auritus. The largest number of aberrant colouration cases was recorded d...

The European wildcat Felis silvestris silvestris is one of the most endangered mammals in Poland. In 1954, when the Tatra National Park (TNP) was established in the highest part of the Polish Carpathians, the wildcat was considered a rare species but nevertheless present in this region. However, its occurrence was never properly recorded there. The...

Tatra National Park located in the highest part of the Carpathians, is one of the most popular place tourist destination in Poland. Area covering bit more than 200 square kilometers is visited by approx. 3 million tourists every year. It is also the only place in this country, where bear survived the persecution lasting till the beginning of 20’ ce...

Our results point at the change in hibernation strategy of Daubenton’s bats.

Sheep grazing has once been a traditional mode of exploitation of forest as well as alpine zones in the majority of European montane regions. Nowadays, in Tatra Mts, sheep grazing is limited to a number of glades of anthropogenic origin, primarily as a method of protection against overgrowing with trees. Results of the present study demonstrate tha...

The knowledge about the awakening of hibernating bats is not sufficient. Unknown are also factors affecting the cyclical nature of this process. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of changes of phases of the moon, and thus changes in the Earth’s magnetic field on the behaviour of wintering common noctules Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1...

On January 10, 2015 the annual bat census was conducted in the Nietoperek Bat Nature Reserve (The Międzyrzecz Fortification Region). The bat species identification and the bat rings reading were executed without disturbing the animals. Both single and clustered hibernating bats were recorded. The whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus and Brandt’s bat M....

Poles speak not Anserine but a tongue of their own. In: “To what he read” by Mikołaj Rej (1562) There are more than 5,700 species of wild mammals worldwide, but only 800 of them have Polish names. „Polish names of mammals of the world” is a proposal to supplement, improve and standardize the list based on the knowledge of biology, especially taxono...

PROBLEMY OCHRONY SSAKÓW (MAMMALIA) W WOJEWÓDZTWIE LUBUSKIM S t r e s z c z e n i e Województwo lubuskie, choć jedno z najmniejszych w Polsce, charaktery-zuje się znacznym zróżnicowaniem przyrodniczym i największą w kraju lesistością (49,7%). Wśród chronionych roślin, grzybów i zwierząt jest wiele unikatowych taksonów w skali europejskiej. Bogaty je...

Słowa kluczowe: ryjówkowate, Soricidae, rozmieszczenie, Tatry. W pracy przedstawiono aktualne dane dotyczące występowania ryjówkowatych w Tatrach pol-skich i u ich podnóży. W latach 1993–2012 odnotowano na 124 stanowiskach 301 osobników na-leżących do pięciu gatunków ryjówkowatych: ryjówki aksamitnej Sorex araneus, ryjówki malut-kiej S. minutus, ry...

The European elk Alces alces is a characteristic species for the north-eastern part of Poland. On the west side of the country, it is observed rarely and does not create a stable population. However, elks are also observed in Lubuskie Province. They are usually single, migrating individuals. However, cows with calves were also reported. Since the m...

The common vole Microtus arvalis is one of the most common rodents in Poland. The results of the previous studies have not confirmed the presence of the species in the Polish Tatra Mountains. The presence of the species was confirmed only in the 1950s in the Slovak Tatra Mountains where sheep were pastured. The catches were conducted in 2004–2012 i...

Lesser white-toothed shrew, Crocidura suaveolens, is one of two species of this genus that occur in Poland. in the course of the present study that covered the period between 1926 and 2014, the authors collected data on 311 localities of lesser white-toothed shrew occurrence in the territory of Poland. the highest number of localities was recorded...

Raccoon is one of the invasive species occurring in Poland. The aim of the study was to analyse the process of penetration of the country by this carnivore. Information gathered from a questionnaire that covered a period between 1982 and 2009 showed that the raccoon was recorded at least 306 times. Raccoons have been recorded from the whole area of...

Owl pellets have high potential as a source of DNA. However, this non-invasive method of collecting DNA is rarely used and its methodological aspects are poorly understood. We investigated the methodology for DNA extraction and amplification from owl pellets containing the smallest European rodent – the Harvest mouse Micromys minutus – as an exampl...

Can bats be protected against highway collisions with vehicles? Limiting the negative effects of roads on wildlife conditions maintenance of biodiversity. Bats are one of the groups of mammals which are at risk of collision with cars. Until now the publications were mainly engaged with road fatalities. Less emphasis was placed on their behavior nea...

This paper presents the results of the winter census conducted in selected objects of the Fortified Front of the Odra-Warta Arch (Poland) in 2007 and 2012. During the study, 30 objects were checked (stand-alone bunkers, shelters, technical corridors, basements, bridges), and as a result nine species of bats were reported. The dominant species in th...

The common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is the most common Gliridae dormice in the country. Over the last few decades, only little information on the species’ sightings came from the Tatra Mountains. The aim of this paper was to extend the current knowledge about the species’ distribution in Tatra National Park. The collection of data on commo...

We studied species composition of assemblages of small mammals (rodents and shrews) inhabiting Polish 25 ombrotrophic mires and quaking bogs in several regions in order to reveal characteristic features of their quantitative structure and compare them between regions, internal zones of the bog habitats, and different levels of anthropogenic degrada...

New data on the distribution of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758 were collected in 2000–2009, during studies carried out on the aquatic fauna of invertebrates in western Poland. The leeches were recorded in the littoral zone of water bodies. Most of the 12 new locations are small water bodies situated in forest areas. This conf...

The research was aimed to determine the composition of barn owl Tyto alba diet in Lubuskie region. Research material was gathered between 2003 and 2005 on 75 barn owl stations. Research stations were located mainly on church towers. From the gathered material, a total of 30,352 victims were preparated. The victims belonged to 28 mammals’ species fr...

Northern and western border of pygmy field mouse Apodemus uralensis population area passes through southern Poland. First sites of the species have been discovered in the '50 of the 20th century. Since then, a total of 79 sites has been found. Latest research revise data concerning the occurrence borders of pygmy field mouse. Three out of four newl...

The results of experimental rearing of Neotrombicula inopinata and Leptotrombidium russicum and of field studies aiming at finding the hitherto unknown habitats occupied by active postlarval forms are presented. Diagnoses of deutonymphs reared from field-collected larvae of both species are provided. Literature interpretation of deutonymph of N. in...

Somatic chromosomes of 17 northern birch mice, Sicista betulina, originating from lowland and Tatra Mountain populations were studied. In the whole studied material constant diploid number of chromosomes (2n = 32) was found. Polymorphism of a pair of large-sized autosomes was found; acrocentric, subtelocentric and submetacentric chromosomes in homo...

The area of the Ziemia Kłodzka is high transformed by human activity. A lot of biotopes for dormice are in the southern part of the Ziemia Kłodzka only. The studies on distribution of localities of dormice, conducted in the years 2001–2002, include the analysis of owl pellets material (Tab. 1) and collecting information about observations of animal...

The aim of the present work is to summarize the current knowledge about the occurrence of the greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum in Poland. The species was reported six times in the country-four localities are associated with hibernation period, one with an individual mistnetted in spring and one with a dead individual found in autumn....

The paper contributes to our knowledge about summer distribution of bats in the area of Miêdzyrzecz Fortified Region (Poland), where the largest bat hibernaculum on European lowlands in currently known. The occurrence of eleven bat species of bats was recorded, based on mist netting and daily roost surveys. Their feeding places and localities of si...

Międzyrzecz Fortified Region is the largest hibernaculum of bats in northern Europe, however bats wintering outside the main underground system have been surveyed only partially. Wintering of five species of bats Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis nattereri, Plecotus auritus and Plecotus austriacus was recorded in underground corr...

Noctule bat is a typical forest species, however it can be also found in big parks and gardens. It hunts for prey at high altitudes in open areas. Its flyingapparatusallowsaquickandstraight-lineflight(Norberg, Rayner 1987, Kunz, Racey 1998). It hibernates usually in tree hollows (Kowalski 1955, Pucek, Raczyński 1983, Wołoszyn, Bashta 2001, Grabińsk...

The observations of wintering Nyctalus noctula in Poland have recently become quite common. Noctule bat probably hibernates in the tree hollows, although the publications stating that hypothesis do not support it by any more extensive field data. In recent years, the cases of noctule wintering in buildings have been reported quite frequently, while...

The distribution of bats in Lubuskie Province is known mainly from inspection of their hibernation places. The reports on occurrence of bats out of their hibernation period are very scarce. In the neighbouring German area, the distribution of bats is recognized much more exhaustively. The aim of the study was to investigate the species composition...