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BATS |
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Eastern Pipistrelle |
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Big Brown |
Background
You might want to reconsider your misguided fear of the often maligned night-time visitor, the bat -- you know -- the flying mammal sometimes known as Dracula’s alter ego. You’re probably wondering what benefit such a creature could possibly have. Well, the fact that a single gray bat, which currently is endangered, can consume more than 3,000 mosquito-sized insects in one night should be enough to make anyone glad to see their arrival. But, there are plenty of other reasons to welcome them to your neighborhood.
Contrary to public opinion, bats are actually gentle and extremely intelligent creatures. If it weren’t for bats, we might never have had peaches, bananas, avocados, cashews or even chicle latex for chewing gum. In the tropics, fruit-eating bats are the most important disperser of seeds and nectar bats are essential for the pollination of flowers.
Southerners also may find it interesting that gray bats played a major role during the Civil War. Dixie might have fallen long before she did if it weren’t for their deposits. Bat guano (manure) was extracted from almost every substantial gray bat cave in the South and used for gunpowder during the war. Large guano accumulations in these caves prolonged the war by providing a reliable source of saltpeter long after importation had been cut off.
Despite their contributions, bats continue to disappear rapidly at the hands of humans, according to Miller. Several species already are extinct and many more may soon follow. The gray bat, which is found in the southeastern United States, typically must over-winter in just nine caves in the area, making them extremely vulnerable. Loss of cave roosts through human disturbance and vandalism is believed to be the primary cause for the alarming decline of gray bats. Fear and misunderstanding of these gentle creatures also have contributed to their decline.
Many bat superstitions arose because bats are nocturnal creatures and for centuries humans have had a fear of the dark. The bat’s unusual ability to fly, given that it’s a mammal, only made matters worse. However, the discovery of the vampire bats of the New World probably was the most crushing blow to the bat’s reputation.
The fact that some bats, though only a small percentage, feasted on blood, immediately associated them in the minds of superstitious people with the much older blood-sucking corpse -- the vampire. In reality, less than one-third of one percent of bats drink blood and they’re all in Latin America. It wasn’t until Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, "Dracula," that the vampire was widely associated with bats.
Bats haven’t fared much better in the scientific community. One popular myth is that bats are prone to carry rabies. This was based on inaccurate research conducted more than 60 years ago. Actually, less than one-half of one percent of bats contract the disease, and even when rabid, bats are rarely aggressive.
Many people also have the misconception that bats are blind. The fruit-eating bats of the tropics, known as "flying foxes," have no echo location (sonar) ability and rely on sight alone. North American bats have developed sonar capability to home in on night-flying insects, but they can see everything except color on a dark night.
Many people are aware of what happened to the passenger pigeon. Once they numbered in the billions and now there are no more. Bats could suffer a similar fate if their benefits are not realized.
Bats of Alabama
Little Brown Bat
(Myotis Lucifugus)
Weight: 7-14 grams. Wingspan: 22-27 centimeters.
The Little Brown Bat is found northward from central Mexico, most of the United States, and all of southern Canada. This species seems to prefer to forage over water, but also forages among trees in open areas. It eats a variety of insects, including gnats, crane flies, beetles, wasps, and moths. One of the most common bats throughout much of the northern United States and Canada, it is scarce or only locally common in the southern part of its range.
Southeastern Bat
(Myotis Austroriparius)
Weight: 5-8 grams. Wingspan: 24-27 centimeters.
The Southeastern Bat is found in the Southeastern United States from southern Illinois and Indiana to northeastern Texas and northern Florida. Once common, populations of the Southeastern Bat have decreased and it has been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered.
Gray Bat
(Myotis Grisescens)
Weight: 8-11 grams. Wingspan: 27-30
The Gray Bat is found in cave regions of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, with occasional colonies found in adjacent states. Moths and dipterans are important in their diet, but Gray Bats also consume a variety of other insects. Currently endangered, about 95% of these bats hibernate in only eight caves, making them extremely vulnerable to destruction.
Northern Long-Eared Bat
(Myotis Septentrionalis)
Weight: 6-7 grams. Wingspan: 22-26 centimeters
The Northern Long-Eared Bat is found in southern Canada and the eastern United States southward to northern Florida. These bats are common and forage mainly on forested hillsides and ridges.
Indiana Bat
(Myotis Sodalis)
Weight: 7-8 grams. Wingspan: 24-27 centimeters.
The Indiana Bat is found in cave regions in the eastern United States. Endangered, the present total population of these bats is fewer than 400,000, with more than 85% hibernating at only nine locations, making them extremely vulnerable to destruction. Populations continue to decrease.
Eastern Small-Footed Bat
(Myotis Leibii)
Weight: 3-4 grams. Wingspan: 21-25 centimeters.
The Eastern Small-Footed Bat is found in eastern Canada and New England south to Alabama and Georgia and west to Oklahoma. This is the smallest bat in the eastern United States. These bats consume flies, mosquitoes, true bugs, beetles, ants, and other insects.
Eastern Pipistrelle
(Pipistrellus Subflavus)
Weight: 5-8 grams. Wingspan: 21-26 centimeters.
The Eastern Pipistrelle is found in most of the eastern United States, southeastern Canada, and southward through eastern Mexico to Central America. These bats often forage over waterways and forest edges. They eat moths, beetles, mosquitoes, midges, ants and other insects. This is the most common bat over most of its range.
Big Brown Bat
(Eptesicus Fuscus)
Weight: 11-23 grams. Wingspan: 32-35 centimeters.
The Big Brown Bat is found from southern Canada throughout the United States to northwestern South America, including many islands in the Caribbean. These bats are probably more familiar to people in the United States than any other species of bat. They consume beetles, ants, flies, mosquitoes, mayflies, stoneflies, and a variety of other insects. They are common throughout most of their range.
Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat
(Corynorhinus Rafinesquii)
Weight: 8-14 grams. Wingspan: 26-30 centimeters.
The Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat is found in the southeastern United States and is the least known of all bats in the eastern United States.
Eastern Red Bat
(Lasiurus Borealis)
Weight: 8-14 grams. Wingspan: 29-33 centimeters.
The Eastern Red Bat is found in southern Canada, the eastern United States (except the Florida Peninsula), and northeastern Mexico. They consume moths, crickets, flies, mosquitoes, true bugs, beetles, cicadas, and other insects. These bats are common throughout most of their range.
Seminole Bat
(Lasiurus Seminolus)
Weight: 9-14 grams. Wingspan: about 30 centimeters.
The Seminole Bat is found in the southeastern United States. The distribution of these bats nearly coincides with that of the Spanish moss where they often roost, but they also are known to roost beneath loose bark, in clumps of foliage, and in caves. Seminole bats consume true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, beetles, crickets, and other insects. They are common in most of their range.
Hoary Bat
(Lasiurus Cinereus)
Weight: 17-35 grams. Wingspan: 38-41 centimeters.
The Hoary Bat is the most widespread bat in the Americas, occurring through most of Canada and southward through most of South America. It also is found in Hawaii, Iceland, Bermuda, and the Dominican Republic. These large, heavily furred bats consume moths, true bugs, mosquitoes, other insects, and occasionally other bats may be captured as food. They are common in northern and western parts of their range in North America, but uncommon in most of the eastern United States.
Northern Yellow Bat
(Lasiurus Intermedius)
Weight: 14-31 grams. Wingspan: 35-39 centimeters.
The Northern Yellow Bat is found in the coastal regions of the southeastern United States, eastern Texas, southward into Central America, Cuba and Isla de Pinos. They consume true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and other insects. These bats are relatively common throughout much of their range.
Silver-Haired Bat
(Lasionycteris Noctivagans)
Weight: 8-11 grams. Wingspan: 27-31 centimeters.
The Silver-Haired Bat is found in southern Alaska across southern Canada and south through much of the United States to northeastern Mexico. A typical day roost is under loose tree bark, but these bats have been found in woodpecker holes and bird nests. These bats consume a variety of insects including moths, true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, termites and beetles. They are relatively rare throughout much of their range, especially in the southeastern United States.
Evening Bat
(Nycticeius Humeralis)
Weight: 7-14 grams. Wingspan: 26-28 centimeters.
The Evening Bat is found in southern Ontario, Canada, most of the eastern United States, and northeastern Mexico. These bats almost never enter caves, although they sometimes join the bats swarming about certain entrances in late summer. They are uncommon through most of their range, but one of the most common bats throughout the southern-coastal states.
Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat
(Tadarida Brasiliensis)
Weight: 11-15 grams. Wingspan: 29-35 centimeters.
The Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat is found in the southern United States and southward through Mexico and Central America into northern South America. It also occurs on islands of the Caribbean. This species feeds almost exclusively on small moths. They are common throughout most of their range, but only locally common in much of the southeastern United States.