In the darkness of old church attics, surprisingly romantic scenes take place as male greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis), the largest native bat species in Europe, compete for the attention of females using complex vocalisations and remarkable patience. A new study from the Museum für Naturkunde, published in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, provides novel insights into the mating behaviour of these bats, revealing that Myotis myotis exhibits a lek mating system — a strategy rarely documented in bats.