General Bat Information

• Bat fossils date back 50 million years
• Millions of bats are found in the United States
• Bats are mammals, part of a group known as Chiroptera, meaning “hand-wing”
• Two basic bat groups: the Microchiroptera and the Megachiroptera. Microchiroptera vary in appearance and are found throughout the world. Megachiroptera, also known as “flying foxes,” found only in Old World Tropics
• Forty-five species of bats are found in the United States. At least 6 of these are on the Endangered Species List, many others (nearly 40%) are classified as threatened, rare, or status undetermined.
• All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than a half of one percent of bats that do, normally bite only in self-defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them.

Bat Concerns of Extinction

• Bats are exceptionally vulnerable to extinction, in part because they are the slowest reproducing mammals on earth for their size, most producing only one young annually.
• Bats that survive to adulthood may live as long as 30 years. The oldest recorded bat is the little brown bat, at 34 years old.
• More than 50% of American bat species are in sever decline or already listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide.
• Loss of bats increases demand for chemical pesticides, can jeopardize whole ecosystems of other animal and plant species and can harm human economies.

What’s Special About Bats?

• They communicate and navigate with high frequency sounds (echo location)
• They are not blind; they just do not see color
• Cold climates force them to migrate; they prefer living in temperate regions
• Many hibernate in caves, abandoned mines and in houses
• Slow to reproduce; average is one young per year
• Major predators of night flying insects
• Protect crops from insect infestation
• In some areas, bats participate in seed dispersal and pollination

A Variety of North American Bats

Big Brown Bat	Big Brown Bat with Moth
Eastern Red Bat	Eastern Red Bat
Hoary Bat	Indiana Bat
Little Brown Myotis Bat	Mexican Free Tail Bat
Mexican Free Tail Bat	Silverhaired Bat

Common House Dwellers in Northeastern United States

Mouse-Eared Bat: the Little Brown Bat (L) and the The Big Brown Bat (R)

The Little Brown Bat

• Most common and most well known
• Found in Northern two-thirds of the United States
• Frequently found in buildings; colonies up to 500
• From brown or russet to gray in color; distinctive black facial mask
• Small sized, 8” to 10”
• May share their roost with Big Brown Bat
• Can catch up to 600 mosquitoes per hour
• Mate in fall before hibernation; sperm remains dormant until spring when ovulation and fertilization occur
• Single offspring is born and reared in June and July; learns to fly at about three weeks
• Select high roosting sites which they abandon in August or September
• May travel up to 200 miles for suitable hibernation locale
• Colonies of up to 500 can roost in large buildings
• All that is required for entry is a space measuring 3/8” x 1”
• MOST INVOLVED IN NUISANCE COMPLAINTS

The Big Brown Bat

• Widespread presence: from Canada to South America and Caribbean Islands
• Brown to copper colored; no distinctive markings
• Wingspan from 12” to 14”
• Form colonies in buildings, frequently behind chimneys in wall spaces and under leaves
• Colonies range from 20 to 300
• Feed on insects; prefer beetles
• The Big Brown Bat
• Very hardy and can survive subfreezing body temperatures
• Only species that may remain in walls and attics throughout winter
• May remain active in November and December
• May travel 150 miles for hibernation locale
• Mate in fall and winter: females store sperm; one or two young born in May or early June; able to fly within a month
• All that is required for entry is a space measuring 1” x 1”
• MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF LARGE SIZE AND ABILITY TO BITE

Environmental Protectors, but Endangered

• Despite the positive role bats play as pollinators and insect eaters, over 40% of bats are now endangered or threatened due to destruction of habitat.
• Attracting bats can be beneficial for you, the bats, and the environment, despite urban legend.
• Bats can eat up to their full weight in night-flying insects, and some species are critical in pollinating fruits and seeds.
• Bats typically do not carry disease and actually are very beneficial.
• Bat rabies only account for approximately one human death per year in the United States.
• Dogs attack and kill more humans annually than die from bat rabies in a decade.
• Statistically speaking, pets, playground equipment, and sports are far more dangerous than bats.

What if a Bat Bites?

• Wound should be immediately washed with soap and water
• Bitten person should get rabies shots immediately
• Go straight to hospital emergency room
• Try to capture the bat without destroying its head: rabies can only be identified in bat’s brain tissue
• Using leather gloves, place bat in covered can and bring to nearest health department
• Rabies can be transmitted without being bitten through scratches, abrasions and open cuts
• NEVER HANDLE BATS WITHOUT HEAVY PROTECTIVE GLOVES