Box Mine is a 56.6 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, near the village of Box

Box, Wiltshire

Box is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about east of Bath and west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....

 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, England, notified in 1991.

Site description

The Mine consists of a network of tunnels, which originate from stone mining work, initially started during the Roman occupation of Britain. Several entrances to the mine system are present in wooded quarries.

Biological Interest

The site's chief biological interest lies in its roosting bat

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

s. Although the site is used year-round, it is mainly a site used for hibernation, breeding, and post-breeding dispersal. It is thought that the mines provide stable humidity and even temperatures when compared to smaller sites, and this encourages use by bats, particularly outside the breeding season.

Up to 10% of the total British population of greater horseshoe bat

Greater Horseshoe Bat

The Greater Horseshoe Bat is a European bat of the Rhinolophus genus. Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest of the European Horseshoe Bats and is thus easily distinguished from other species...

 uses the mine at times; a maximum of 230 individuals of this species have been counted at the site. Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Lesser horseshoe bat

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat , is a type of European bat related to but smaller than its cousin, the Greater Horseshoe Bat...

 also uses the mine, as do the four Myotis species - Whiskered

Whiskered bat

The whiskered bats Myotis mystacinus and related species, are small European bats with long fur. Although uncommon, M. mystacinus is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat Myotis brandtii, from which it was distinguished as a separate species only in...

, Brandt's

Brandt's Bat

Brandt's Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia.It is named for the German zoologist Johann Friedrich von Brandt.-Echolocation:...

, Natterer's

Natterer's bat

Natterer's bat is a European bat with pale wings. It has brown fur, also seen on the leg wing membrane, tending to white on its underside...

 and Daubenton's

Daubenton's bat

Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton....

bats.

Source

• English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 31 July 2006)

External links

• English Nature website (SSSI information)