Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) -- BTC Species of the Month - Mar. 2011
Did you know?
Little Brown Bat
Photo credit:Sean Bryan
Bats are the only mammals that can fly.
Bats are not blind. Although they can see
quite well with their eyes, they use
echolocation to locate and capture their
prey when they hunt at night.
An adult Little Brown Bat can eat up to
100% of its body weight per night and can
sometimes fill its stomach in just 15
minutes!
Bats can live for up to 30 years, the oldest
recorded being 35.
Little Brown Bat populations are threatened
by a deadly fungus.
Scroll down for more on this fantastic flying
mammal.
Habitat: Ranging from Mexico to Alaska it is Diet: Insects such as moths, wasps, beetles,
one of the most common bats in North
gnats, mosquitoes, midges and mayflies
America. It lives near streams, lakes and urban
areas where they roost in caves, abandoned
Status: Common (Secure, S4)
mines, trees and even buildings.
Weight: 8g (the mass of two nickels and a
dime!)
Length: 6-10 cm; Wingspan 22-27 cm
Bats and the Niagara Escarpment:
The system of caves and crevices that dot the Niagara Escarpment are perfect roosting and
hibernating locations for the Little Brown Bat. Preferring to snack on insects that have an aquatic
larval stage such as mosquitos and mayflies, the Little Brown Bat is also quite at home near the
water.
Since bats are nocturnal animals and only hunt at night, the best time to see these fuzzy fliers is
at dusk, when the sun is just about to set (but bring a flashlight for the trek back home!).
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]
Just remember: If you come across a bat (dead or alive) don't touch it, as bats can carry rabies.
Range:
The Little Brown Bat has one of the largest ranges of any bat species in North America. It exists
from central Mexico all the way up to the tree line in northern Canada and Alaska.
Identification:
It is distinguished from other bats in the Myotis genus mainly by its smaller size (hence the name
Little Brown Bat).
Fur: dark brown and glossy on its back and upper parts, with slightly paler, greyish fur
underneath.
Wings: skin membranes that attach to the sides of its body and hind legs and also enclose the tail.
Teeth: As an insectivore all its teeth, including its molars, are relatively sharp and its canines are
prominent to enable grasping hard-bodied insects in flight.
Size: Female Little Brown Bats are generally slightly larger than males and when young are born
they are pink and translucent with closed eyes.
Voice and Echolocation:
Although the Little Brown Bat does emit a shrill cry that is audible to the human ear, often
resembling a mouse, the most important sound that it makes is inaudible to the human ear.
Echolocation or Biosonar involves high frequency sounds that are produced when the bat flies
and hunts at night. Similar to radar, the high frequency soundwaves that a bat emits bounces off
objects and back to the bat's ears, allowing it to navigate in the dark.
Courtship & Breeding:
In the summer, male and female bats live apart.
When fall comes both sexes fly to their wintering hibernacula where they mate and then
hibernate.
During hibernation, female bats store the male's sperm and come spring time conception takes
place. Then the females leave for nursery colonies where, after a 50-60 day gestation period, they
give birth and raise their young.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]
A Little Brown Bat will have one (sometimes two) offspring per year which will become fully
mature in four weeks.
Concern for Bats along the Niagara Escarpment:
The Little Brown Bat is one of the most common species of
bat in Ontario. Under normal conditions you wouldn't see it
flying in the wintertime. However a recent disease called
White Nose Syndrome is affecting Ontario's bat populations
and causing infected individuals to emerge from hibernation
too early, often resulting in their death.
Little Brown Bat with
White Nose Syndrome
(photo credit:US Fish & Wildlife
Service)
White Nose Syndrome has killed more than a million bats in
the northeastern United States and is now documented in
Ontario. It is a white coloured fungus that grows on the faces
of hibernating bats. The fungus causes irritation to the bats
and wakens them, forcing them to prematurely use their
winter fat reserves by flying around searching for food.
Because there isn't an abundant source of food for them
during the winter months, bats that are awoken by the
fungus will likely die.
You can help protect Little Brown Bats on the Niagara Escarpment.
Any bats that are seen flying during the day time or any dead bats that are seen along the Trail
should be reported to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at 1-866-673-4781, the
Natural Resources Information Centre at 1-800-667-1940, or your local Ministry of Natural
Resources (MNR) office.
Check out this White Nose Syndrome Fact Sheet >>>
from the MNR for more details (.pdf, 264.5 KB)
http://brucetrail.org/system/downloads/0000/0276/WNS_fact_sheet_MNR.pdf
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]