 Bats
of Indiana
Red Bat
Red bat flying near Wyandotte Caves
(drawing by CES Media Club)
| Scientific
Name: Lasiurus
borealis Description:
It
is considered a medium-sized bat. It has
reddish fur, short ears, is 4-6 inches
long and has a wingspan of 13-16 inches.
Population:
The
Red bat is abundant throughout its range
(see the range below).
Food: They feed on
insects like moths, flies, mosquitoes,
beetles, and other insects. They like to
hang out under street lights to get their
prey. They use echolocation (high-pitched
sounds) to locate the insects they eat.
Range:
They
are found from southern Canada, through
the mid to eastern Unites States, on down
to northeastern Mexico.
Reproduction:
These
bats have from one to four offspring
during late spring to early summer. The
babies cling to their mothers with their
teeth, feet, and thumbs. They can live up
to twelve years.
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The Red bat spends its day hanging from trees
like leaves.
In the fall of the year they like to swarm around
caves.
They are solitary most of the time. They migrate
to the
south in the fall of the year and to the north in
the spring.
A red bat flies to catch its
prey.
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation
International
The Red bat is one
of the more common bats in Indiana.
They are camoflaged well when hanging from trees
because they hang by one foot which makes them
resemble dead leaves. Their predators include
several kinds of birds like blue jays.
Dr. Clark McCreedy, wildlife
biologist, gave us the
following information about the Red Bats he has
studied here in Perry County, Indiana...
Dr. McCreedy:
"This
bat seldom enters caves! This is another bat that is sort
of a mystery, some red bats appear to migrate south, some are
non-
migratory, and appear to spend the entire year locally. Because
they
may experience cold temperatures, lower than most bats will
tolerate,
they use some unique behaviors to survive and that is why they
fascinate me. Most of the time these bats will hibernate
in trees,
usually using tree cavities. But, if it gets too cold they will
become
leaf-litter bats! They will burrow under leaf litter until they
are
covered enough to be insulated from the cold. This is one of the
reasons these animals are the color they are - they are the
color
of leaves that have fallen to the ground. This coloration may
protect
them from predators when they are on the ground seeking shelter
from
the cold. Here is a 'way cool' picture of a red bat with its
wings
(arms & hands) spread across my glove. You should be able to
easily
identify the thumb, fingers, wrist, and elbow."
A Red Bat
found in Perry County, IN
(click on photograph to see larger image)
(courtesy of Dr. Clark McCreedy)
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References/Resources
Drawing
of Red Bat by
Cannelton Elementary Media Club
Top photograph
of the Red Bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat
Conservation International
Bottom
photograph of the Red Bat
courtesy of Dr. Clark McCreedy
All other photographs on
this page 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 Commision 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
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Comments? Questions?
You can e-mail us at:
jgoble@cannelton.k12.in.us
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