 Bats
of Indiana
Silver-haired Bat
Silver-haired bat under bark of a tree
(drawing by CES Media Club)
| Scientific
Name: Lasionycteris
noctivagans Description:
The
Silver-haired bat is considered a
medium-sized bat. It weighs between 8-11
grams and has a wingspan of 11 inches. It
can be up to four inches long. This bat
has dark brown fur but it has white tips
on the fur. It has short, round ears.
Population:
Although
it has a large range (see that below) the
Silver-haired bat is not common in most
of its range.
Food: They eat
insects like moths, mosquitoes, termites,
and even beetles. They use echolocation
(high-pitched sounds) to locate the
insects they eat.
They forage over ponds and lakes.
Range:
This
bat can be found over most of the United
States and on up into Canada and even
southern Alaska. It is also found in
parts of northern Mexico.
They like to live in both deciduous and
coniferous forests.
Reproduction:
In
June or July the females give birth. They
usually have twins. Their young are
raised in the northern states on into
Canada.
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The Silver-haired
bat likes to live in hollowed out trees in
forests. They usually roost singly, but there
have
some female colonies found. They have been found
living in buildings that are mostly open like
garages or
open barns. They migrate during the Fall and
Spring.
This Silver-haired bat has
caught a moth.
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation
International
Hibernation is
usually in trees, rock crevices, and other
shelter areas. Sometimes during winter they can
be found in caves.
These bats are not found in Wyandotte Caves right
now.
It is a slow flyer,
and has a very good homing instinct. This
means it can find its way home well, even after
flying
a hundred miles from home.
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References/Resources
Drawing
of the Silver-haired bat
by CES Media Club
The
photograph of the Silver-haired bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
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 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
ENature
http://enature.com/fieldguides/
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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