The Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat (Bauerus dubiaquercus). The Pallid bat was first described in 1856. It is the state bat of California.
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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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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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PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
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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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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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TorporTorpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables...
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Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Highly socialHighly social animals are those which are highly interactive with other members of their species. They live in large groups, nest in colonies, and ...
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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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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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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withPallid bats are large in size. They have long forward-pointing ears and a blunt piglike snout. Their fur is pale at the roots, brown on their back, with a light underside. Pallid bats are a unique bat species because they have the ability to control their body temperature and equilibrate it with the environment during winter hibernation and whenever they rest.
Pallid bats occur from western Canada to central Mexico. They live in arid or semi-arid habitats, often in mountainous or rocky areas near water. They are also found over open, sparsely vegetated grasslands.
Pallid bats are highly social animals. They usually spend time in groups but can gather in large colonies of up to 100 individuals. During the day time, Pallid bats typically roost in cracks and crevices, or rocky outcrops. During the night, they prefer to use roosts that are closer to their foraging grounds than their day roosts. A night roost is usually less protected than a day roost; open porches may be used as night roosts by this species. In the winter time, Pallid bats may dip into shallow bouts of torpor, often in buildings, caves, or cracks in rocks. When foraging at night, they typically fly at low heights of 1-2 m off the ground. Pallid bats capture prey from the ground and transport it to their night roost for consumption. While foraging, these bats use echolocation and travel from their roost sites to foraging grounds. However, they may also opt to not echolocate while foraging and instead use their large ears to locate insects on the ground. As gleaners, they primarily rely on auditory cues produced by prey instead of echolocation to hunt.
Pallid bats are carnivores (insectivores). They eat various insects such as crickets, centipedes, beetles, grasshoppers, and cicadas and can consume up to half their weight in insects every night. Pallid bats can eat Arizona bark scorpions, which are the most venomous scorpions in North America: their stings can be fatal to humans. Although these bats are primarily insectivores, they also seasonally feed on Mexican columnar cacti (particularly cardón cactus) nectar in spring, and even cactus fruit in summer.
Pallid bats are polygynandrous (promiscuous) meaning that both the males and the females have multiple partners during the breeding season. Their breeding season occurs from October to February when the bats are in hibernation. Mating typically occurs in autumn and females delay implatations until spring, when they emerge from hibernation. Each female gives birth to 1-2 pups during early June; the young weigh about 3 to 3.5 g (0.11 to 0.12 oz) at birth and in 4-5 weeks are capable of making short flights. Pups are weaned after 40 to 45 days. They attain adult size at about 8 weeks of age and become reproductively mature when they are around two years old.
The main threat to Pallid bats is disturbance. The rise of anthropogenic noise pollution, such as traffic, in their habitats is negatively impacting their foraging and can reduce efficiency by up to 3 times. Another serious concern is the use of pesticides.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Pallid bat is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Pallid bats are very effective pollinators, even more than some of the nectarivorous bats with whom they compete for cacti.
