Content:
Do bats really turn into vampires when the sun sets? Well, that’s for you to figure out on your own! However, what we do know is that there are plenty of bat species in the United States – and some aren’t even all too spooky.
From fruit-eating bats to insect-loving ones, here’s a list of the five most common bat species you can find roaming around and scurrying at night across America. With a little education and understanding about these incredible creatures, we just might be able to coexist with them during any vampire-less nights ahead.
So come join us as we dive deeper into exploring this fascinating group of flying mammals!
The Only Flying Mammals
Bats are one of the most interesting and mysterious creatures on the planet! They belong to the unique order Chiroptera, which comes from ancient Greek meaning “hand-wing”, referring to their distinctive wings.
Despite a common misconception that these nocturnal creatures are rare, in reality, bats can be found all over the world except in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
In the USA, bats have a higher concentration in the Southwest due to their tropical and semitropical climate.
Rather than sojourning alone through the night sky, bats prefer to find comfort and security in places such as barns, attics, caves, or abandoned mines – ideal spots for raising young without too much disruption.
While some may be found on the outside of trees, hanging upside down while they sleep during the day, others prefer a more private space within hollowed-out trunks or crevices.
That being said, bats are also remarkable journeyers and are even known to migrate seasonally in order to find the ideal environment for breeding and foraging; for instance, during colder temperatures, they will seek warmer climates where food is abundant or hibernate in higher humidity areas that don’t drop below freezing.
Such innate abilities further prove why these creatures have been so successful in surviving for centuries!
5 Most Common Bat Species in the USA
Hoary Bat
The hoary bat is one of the most stunning species of bats in America. It has an impressive maximum wingspan of 16″ and its fur has unique frosted white tips that make it look like something out of a fairytale.
Not only does this beautiful bat have distinctive looks, but it also has plenty of travel experience, being one of the widest spread species on the continent, from North to South America, including Central and South America (there’s even a subspecies in Hawaii!).
Although they may be found all over the place, they are quite shy – they spend their days resting high up in trees and come out only at night to feed.
In the summer you can spot males flying far west of the Rockies and females towards the east, but during the wintertime, you’ll be able to witness their great migration: dozens and dozens of majestic hoary bats flying together as dusk approaches!
Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat, a subspecies of the Brazilian free-tailed bat, has become well known throughout the southern United States. With a population of over 100 million individuals, these bats can be seen pouring out of tunnels each night during the spring and autumn months in an impressive swirling funnel.
They fly up to incredible heights, reaching speeds up to 60 mph as they travel up to 50 miles away from their roosts searching for food and water. An incredible 3 tons of insects are consumed nightly by the 4,000 bats at Carlsbad Caverns alone!
During the colder winter months, some of these bats are known to hibernate while most migrate down to Mexico just like the monarch butterfly and many other species do annually. Every night during warm weather, we get to witness this awe-inspiring phenomenon courtesy of the incredible Mexican free-tailed bat.
Virginia Big-Eared Bat
While other animals may try to blend into their surroundings in order to remain unseen, the Virginia big-eared bat stands out due to its unique physical features. These medium-sized bats get their namesake from their remarkable ears, which measure more than 1 inch long.
The Virginia big-eared bat is one of two subspecies of Townsend’s big-eared bat, which reside year-round in caves located in Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In the early spring, female bats gather together in warm parts of the caverns in maternity colonies and give rise to a single pup each. Young bats can take flight at an impressive 3 weeks old and are fully weaned by 6 weeks, after which they venture out on their own to hunt insects with their sonar capabilities.
With white-nose syndrome (WNS) causing devastating damage to so many species of bats, researchers are on a mission to uncover which species might hold the key to proving resistant against it.
The Virginia big-eared bat is an incredibly interesting candidate in this quest; while the fungus that causes WNS has been discovered in the caves they inhabit, they have somehow managed to go unscathed.
Despite their lack of susceptibility, disruptions like those caused by researchers who need to check the condition of these animals can have a negative effect on them in other ways, such as putting significant strain on their energy reserves or negatively affecting their young.
To this day, we still don’t know for sure why some bats manage to survive and others don’t. With every new discovery comes hopeful help for these fascinating creatures.
California Leaf-Nosed Bat
The remarkable California leaf-nosed bat is quite unlike any other creature found in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and portions of Arizona. With its huge ears, large nose, and grey to dark brown fur easily spotting the bat – let alone being heard – won’t be a problem!
Although they may appear cute at first glance, it’s their incredible adaptations to these areas that make them so special. The notable distinctive feature of this species is the leaf-like projection at the tip of its snout which acts as an antenna to transmit echolocation sounds through its nose.
This peculiar feature helps them stay active all year long yet their impressive hearing enables them to detect signals as quiet as a cricket’s footfall! Plus, this bat can even live for nearly 20 years in the wild which makes it one of the longest-living mammals around.
Indiana Bat
Despite its deceptive size, the Indiana bat is no slouch when it comes to feasting on insects. Weighing just a quarter of an ounce—approximately the weight of three pennies—this tiny creature packs a punch in the form of munching its way every night through up to half its body weight in bugs.
Its scientific name, Myotis sodalis, is downright fitting; “Myotis,” meaning “mouse ear”, an obvious reference to their little yet prominent hearing organs, and “sodalis” which entails “companion”.
This species is popularly known for forming large colonies during hibernation season and places such as Wyandotte cave in Southern Indiana have been home to upwards of twenty to fifty thousand bats at once!
This pocket-sized powerhouse plays an integral role not only within its own ecosystem but ours as well, providing necessary pest management. More than half of their population hibernates in the caverns in Southern Indiana, despite the fact that they are widespread in the Eastern United States.
Conclusion
Out of the many species of bats in North America, these five are the most common. Though they may seem creepy at first glance, these flying mammals play an important role in our environment by eating insects and pollinating plants.
And, install bat houses and take other precautions if there are bats on your land in order to protect your house without endangering the bats.
Thanks for reading!
