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.
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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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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Lucky AnimalsThe 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.
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.
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.
Indiana bats are carnivores (insectivores). They eat both terrestrial and aquatic flying insects, such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and midges.
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.
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.
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.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...