Predators

Moreporks have been frequently reported as bat predators. Stead (1937) found a dead Mystacina in a morepork's nest. The bat had a small claw puncture in its neck. A pair of moreporks nested for a number of seasons at the entrance to a cave known to support a colony of Chalinolobus. Grubner (personal communication) has observed a bat escape an attack from a morepork by flight in a fast upward spiral.

Two records, one for each species, are known of capture by cats. Three page 26Mystacina were killed by a dog when a tree containing a colony was felled. Stead (1937) considers that in the Stewart Island region black rats may prey on Mystacina. Mustelids could similarly cause extensive loss to accessible colonies, but there are no confirmed records of predation by any of these mammals.