Although the Vespertilionid bats typically hibernate during the winter to minimize energy expenditure in the cold months, in the temperate regions torpor breaks can be rather frequent. The aim of our study was to conduct a preliminary characterisation of the winter bat activity patterns in Mediterranean peri-urban deciduous forests of North Portugal. Echolocation calls were recorded between November and February, and bat activity was regularly detected on warm evenings, with sun set temperatures above 4.6°C during the night sampling, mostly in November (89.9%), only rarely in December (3.7%) and February (6.4%) and without activity detected in January. The most commonly recorded species were Pipistrellus pygmaeus, P. pipistrellus, and P. kuhlii. Socialization activity was mostly concentrated in November (96.8%), only with rare records in February (3.2%) and absent in December and January. Regarding the best fitting average model, obtained by the Multi-Model Inference (MMI) method to explaining the variati...

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation‐related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications.

The European snow vole (Chionomys nivalis) is a microtine rodent with a highly fragmented distribution range, mostly associated with the main mountain systems from southern Europe to Turkmenistan. In this paper we confirm the occurrence of the snow vole in Portugal, based on morphological characteristics, biometrics and genetic analysis of two individuals captured in the Montesinho Mountain range (northeastern Portugal). Both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers were used to confirm the species identity. The analysis of cytochrome b supports previous conclusions on the phylogeographic structure of the species, revealing the existence of several distinct lineages. Moreover, it shows that the Portuguese specimens are closely related to the other Iberian populations. This finding is of great interest as it adds new information regarding the spatial distribution of the snow vole, by redefining the southwestern limits of the species’ range, and it highlights the need for accurate assessment of regional small mammal population trends and conservation status.

This study outlines the procedures used for collecting, processing, and categorizing data on 16 new mammal species for mainland Portugal, belonging to four taxonomic groups: Eulipotyphla (1), Chiroptera (4), Rodentia (2), and Cetacea (9). Data collection and processing encompassed field and lab work and bibliographic compilation. Data categorization involves, whenever possible, the assessment of the approximate number of mature individuals in populations, the extent of occurrence, and the area of occupancy. The approach employed led to the classification of eight out of the 16 species into an IUCN category: two non-volant small mammals and one bat species were designated as Vulnerable, requiring ongoing monitoring; one rodent and three cetaceans were assigned to Data Deficient due to insufficient available information; and a single bat species was classified as Least Concern due to the high abundance of local populations. For small mammals and bats, alterations to natural systems and climate change emerged as the most relevant threatening factors, while for cetaceans, human activities such as fishing, commercial shipping, and tourism were identified as the primary survival risks. It is recommended to maintain action programs that assist in defining strategic orientations for the implementation of conservation measures on a case-by-case basis.