Spotted bat
Encyclopedia
The Spotted bat is a bat species from the family of vesper bat
s.
from the American Museum of Natural History
in 1891. It can reach a length of 12 cm and a wingspan of 35 cm. The weight is about 15 g. It has three distinctive white spots on its black back. With ears that can grow up to 4 cm, it is said to have the largest ears of any bat species in North America. The spotted bat's mating season is in autumn and the females produce their offspring (usually one juvenile) in June or July. Their main diet is grasshoppers and moths.
in Arizona
, as well as open and dense deciduous and coniferous forests, hay fields, deserts, marshes, riparian areas and dry shrub-steppe grasslands in Arizona
, California
, Colorado
, Utah
, and British Columbia
, Canada
.
and other insecticides in the 1960s led to a severe decline in the spotted bat population but current observations had shown that it is more common than formerly believed. Abundance, population trend, and threats are widely unknown.
Vesper bat
Vesper bats , also known as Evening bats or Common bats, are the largest and best-known family of bats. They belong to the suborder Microchiroptera . There are over three hundred species distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica...
s.
Description
The spotted bat was first described by zoologist Joel Asaph AllenJoel Asaph Allen
Joel Asaph Allen was an American zoologist and ornithologist, born in Springfield, Massachusetts.He studied at Harvard University under Louis Agassiz...
from the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in 1891. It can reach a length of 12 cm and a wingspan of 35 cm. The weight is about 15 g. It has three distinctive white spots on its black back. With ears that can grow up to 4 cm, it is said to have the largest ears of any bat species in North America. The spotted bat's mating season is in autumn and the females produce their offspring (usually one juvenile) in June or July. Their main diet is grasshoppers and moths.
Habitat
The habitats of the spotted bat are undisturbed roosts on cliffs along the Grand CanyonGrand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, as well as open and dense deciduous and coniferous forests, hay fields, deserts, marshes, riparian areas and dry shrub-steppe grasslands in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Threats
Use of pesticides such as DDTDDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
and other insecticides in the 1960s led to a severe decline in the spotted bat population but current observations had shown that it is more common than formerly believed. Abundance, population trend, and threats are widely unknown.
Further reading
- David J. Schmidly, William B. Davis: The mammals of Texas University of Texas Press, 2004 ISBN 9780292702417
- B. J. Verts, Leslie N. Carraway: Land mammals of Oregon. University of California Press, 1998 ISBN 9780520211995