Windfarms in the north and north-east are causing bats to explode, experts have claimed.
The Bat Conservation Trust says it has evidence that pressure from turbine blades causes the creatures’ lungs to “pop” – resulting in sudden death.
And a leading expert warned last night that the numbers known to have been killed by windfarms could just be the “tip of the iceberg”.
Paul Racey, emeritus professor of biology at Aberdeen University, said bats get the equivalent of “the bends” when they go near the blades – and he called for turbine firms to be prosecuted for harming the protected species.
Anyone who deliberately injures or kills a bat in the UK can face six months in jail and a fine of up to £5,000.
Animal experts believe large numbers of bats are dying as a result of hunting insects drawn by the heat generated by turbine blades.
Even if a bat’s sophisticated detection system keeps it away from the blades, the pressure creates a vacuum capable of bursting their tiny lungs.
Anne Youngman, Scottish officer at the Bat Conservation Trust, said: “People think that the danger is the bats getting hit by the blade, which does happen. But the danger to them is really barotrauma, where they are literally popped from the inside.
“It is reported a lot about birds of prey dying because of wind turbines, but lots of bats are too.”
Ms Youngman said the further north you go the fewer bats there tend to be – warning that wind turbines could prove to be the “final nail in the coffin” for bats in places like the Highlands.
In the US, several studies have been carried out which prove that bats suffer from a “barotrauma” type condition when they get too close to turbine blades.
Nick Orpwood, spokesman from Aberdeenshire-based group Concerned About Wind Turbines, said: “We are aware of the problem but it hasn’t had a high enough profile. People are aware of issues with things like golden eagles – but probably think bats are all like vampire bats.
“I think windfarm developers should be thinking about it.”
Fears have already been raised this week that turbines have led to a sharp increase in eagle deaths in America.
Research by the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that windfarms killed at least 87 golden and bald eagles between 1997 and 2012.
The windfarm industry is working with the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a project to determine the impact of turbines on bats, and the research is due to be published next year.
Jenny Hogan, director of policy for Scottish Renewables, said: “Whenever a developer applies to build a windfarm, a thorough environmental impact assessment is carried out to ensure that any effect on wildlife, including bats, is reduced to an absolute minimum and is acceptable.
“Only those projects deemed to be suitable will be given consent after being subjected to a rigorous planning system.”
There are thought to be nine species of bat which currently live in Scotland. The most common is the tiny pipistrelle bat which is just 2in long with a wingspan of up to 10in.