Indiana Bat
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Myotis sodalis
Population size
457,000
Life Span
5-12 years
Weight
4.5-9.5
0.2-0.3
goz
g oz 
Length
4-5
1.6-2
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
24-27
9.4-10.6
cminch
cm inch 

The Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis ) is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g (0.16–0.34 oz). It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.

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Indiana bats live in hardwood and hardwood-pine forests. It is common in old-growth forest and in agricultural land, mainly in forest, crop fields, and grasslands. As an insectivore, the bat eats both terrestrial and aquatic flying insects, such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and midges.

The Indiana bat is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It has had serious population decline, estimated to be more than 50% over the past 10 years, based on direct observation and a decline on its extent of occurrence.

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No

Nocturnal

Cr

Crepuscular

Ca

Carnivore

In

Insectivores

Ar

Arboreal

Al

Altricial

Te

Terrestrial

Vi

Viviparous

Po

Polygyny

So

Social

Co

Colonial

Mi

Migrating

Hi

Hibernating

I

starts with

Lu

Lucky Animals
(collection)

Appearance

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It is similar in appearance to the more common Little brown bat but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar. Indiana bats can have fur from black to chestnut with a light gray to cinnamon belly.

Distribution

Geography

Indian bats are found in Southern and Midwestern United States. They live in hardwood and hardwood-pine forests and are also common in agricultural land, mainly in forests, crop fields, and grasslands.

Indiana Bat habitat map

Climate zones

Indiana Bat habitat map
Indiana Bat
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Habits and Lifestyle

Indian bats are social and nocturnal creatures. They perform seasonal migrations from winter hibernacula to summer roosts and may travel distances up to thousands of kilometers. During winter they hibernate in caves gathering in large, tight clusters that may contain thousands of individuals. Indiana bats begin to arrive at hibernacula from their summer roosting sites in late August, with most returning in September. Females enter hibernation shortly after arriving at hibernacula, but males remain active until late autumn to breed with females arriving late. Most Indiana bats hibernate from October through April, but many at the northern extent of their range hibernate from September to May. Spring migration can begin as early as late March, but most Indiana bats do not leave their winter hibernacula until late April to early May. Females emerge from hibernacula first, usually between late March and early May. Most males do not begin to emerge until mid-to-late April. Females arrive at summer locations beginning in mid-April and form summer nursery colonies of up to 100 adult females. Males typically roost alone or in small bachelor groups during the summer. Many males spend the summer near their winter hibernacula, while others migrate to other areas, similar to areas used by females. Indiana bats feed entirely on night-flying insects, and a colony of bats can consume millions of insects each night. In one day they may travel up to 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from their day roosts to their foraging sites.

Group name
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Indiana bats are carnivores (insectivores). They eat both terrestrial and aquatic flying insects, such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and midges.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
autumn
PREGNANCY DURATION
60 days
BABY CARRYING
1 pup
INDEPENDENT AGE
2-3 months
FEMALE NAME
female
MALE NAME
male
BABY NAME
pup

Indiana bats are polygynous meaning that one male mates with multiple females. Breeding occurs in and around hibernacula in autumn. During this period, Indiana bats undergo a phenomenon known as swarming. During this activity, large numbers of bats fly in and out of caves from sunset to sunrise. Swarming mainly occurs from August to September and is thought to be an integral part of mating. Females delay fertilization until the end of hibernation, and gestation takes about 60 days. They typically give birth to a single pup in late May to early July. Pups are born altricial (helpless) and are weaned after 25 to 37 days; they are able to fly around the same time. The young become independent from their mothers when they are between 2 and 3 months old. Females can mate during their first fall, but some do not breed until their second year. Males become reproductively active during their second year of life.

Population

Population threats

Human disturbance and the degradation of habitat are the primary causes for the Indiana bat decline. The presence of people in caves can cause the bats to come out of hibernation, leading to a large increase in their energy use. By causing them to wake up and use greater amounts of energy stores, humans can cause high mortality in a cave population of hibernating Indiana bats. Other important threats to the species include direct and intentional killings by humans, mortality due to wind turbines, pesticide use, improper application of cave gates, climate change, and agricultural development.

Population number

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource, in 2005 the total population size of the Indian bat was estimated at about 457,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are stable.

References

1. Indiana Bat on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_bat
2. Indiana Bat on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14136/22053184

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