 Bats
of Indiana
Little Brown bat
Little Brown bats roosting in a tree
(drawing by CES Media Club)
| Scientific
Name: Myotis
Lucifugus Description:
The
average Little Brown bat is between 7-14
centimeters long (approx. 4 inches). The
wingspan is between 22-27 centimeters.
They have glossy fur that can be a
variety of colors with brown such as
reddish-brown or yellow-brown or dark
brown. Their undersides are usually
lighter in color.
Population:
They
are common in their range (see the range
below). During the Winter of 2005 there
were 167 Little Brown bats counted that
were hibernating in Wyandotte Caves.
Food: Little Brown
bats are insectivores, which means they
eat insects. They use ecolocation to get
their food. They eat a lot of mosquitoes,
mayflies, and other flying insects like
moths.
***CLICK
HERE TO LISTEN TO THE ECHOLOCATION SOUND
OF THE LITTLE BROWN BAT!***
When
the bats are not successful in catching
prey they will go into a torpor or short
hibernation so they can conserve energy.
Range:
The
Little Brown bat occurs throughout much
of North America. They are found in much
of Alaska to Southern Canada and much of
the United States on into northern
Mexico. They are not found much in the
Great Plains or the Southeastern Coastal
Plain.
Reproduction:
The
females gather at maternity colonies of
hundreds or more after hibernation is
over. During the warmer months they roost
in areas like barns or parts of buildings
like attics. Usually the females give
birth to one offspring, but there have
been some who have given birth to twins.
They stay with their babies until they
are weaned and then fly to other parts of
their range. The babies can fly within
three weeks after birth.
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The Little Brown bat
is a bat that hibernates in Wyandotte Caves.
Entrance of Big Wyandotte
Cave
(CES Media Club)
The Little Brown bats usually like the warmer,
moister areas of caves
when they hibernate. They do not roost in tight
clusters like
the Indiana bats. It is not known where the males
spend their summers
but scientists feel they scatter and use a
variety of roosting areas
like attics or other secluded parts of buildings.
When they forage for food they usually forage
over water. Scientists
have observed that these bats use a set pattern
for foraging for food.
They catch small prey in their mouths, and their
larger prey with
a wingtip and then scooping it into their mouths
with their tails.
A Little Brown Bat
(c) Merlin Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
If you find that
bats of any kind are living in your attic or your
barn, contact your local forestry service or the
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to ask for assistance in
relocating them.
Little Brown bats are not considered endangered,
however,
since they are so important for the environment
they are
considered sensitive and their areas are
protected when possible.
A Little
Brown Bat is ready to catch
a moth for its dinner.
(drawing by Cannelton Elementary Media Club)
*****************
References/Resources
Population
of Little Brown bats
in Wyandotte courtesy of Indiana
Dept. of Natural Resources
Dr. Clark McCreedy
Photograph
of Little Brown bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
Drawings
of Little Brown bat by
CES Media Club
All other photographs belong
to CES Media Club
BOOKS:
Bats
of the United States
by
Michael J. Harvey, J. Scott Altenbach,
and Troy L. Best, Arkansas Game
& Fish Commission and the U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, copyright 1999
Those
Amazing Bats by
Cheryl Mays Halton
Dillon Press, New York copyright 1991
WEBSITES:
Kentucky
Bat Working Group
http://www.biology.eku.edu/bats.htm
Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org
Wyandotte Caves
http://www.wyandottecaves.com
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Comments? Questions?
You can e-mail us at:
jgoble@cannelton.k12.in.us
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