 Bats
of Indiana
Southeastern Bat
A Southeastern bat uses echolocation to find its
prey
(drawing by CES Media Club)
| Scientific
Name: Myotis
austroriparius Description:
This
bat is medium sized at about 3-4 inches
long. It has brown fur on top and white
fur on the bottom. It has a wingspan of
10 inches.
Population:
The
actual population is unknown, but
scientists know its population has
decreased. It has been recommended for
federal listing as threatened or
endangered.
Food: These bats
eat small insects. They usually find
their prey by swooping close to a water's
edge like a pond or lake. They use
echolocation (high-pitched sounds) to
locate the insects they eat.
Range:
It
has been found in the southeastern United
States. It has been found as far south as
northeastern Texas to northeastern
Florida. It has been seen as far north
as southern Indiana and Illinois.
Reproduction:
In
late April to May the females have twins.
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The Southeastern bat
is the only Myotis known to have twins.
They roost in caves in the northern area of their
range and in
buildings or trees that are hollowed out.
When they have maternity colonies in caves these
colonies
could have thousands of bats in them.
A cluster of Southeastern
bats
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation
International
It is thought that
the reason for the decline of
the population of the Southeastern bat is because
of loss
of habitat. When caves are closed off or changed
as when
people visit too much then the bats are disturbed
during
their critical hibernation. They then use up
their fat
reserves and die out. So, it is important for
people
to not disturb bats when they are known to be
hibernating.
A Southeastern bat likes to
look for food near water
(drawing by CES Media Club)
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References/Resources
Drawings
of Southeastern bat by
Cannelton Elementary Media Club
Photograph
of Southeastern bats
(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
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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