EC 1584 • September 2006 $1.00 Little Brown Bat Myotis lucifugus by L. Schumacher and N. Allen ittle brown bats are one of the most common bats in Oregon and L the United States. Their scientifi c name is Myotis lucifugus. The group of bats in the genus Myotis are called the “mouse-eared” bats. Where they live Little brown bats’ favorite foods are and why gnats, beetles, and moths. They also eat Bats need food, water, and shelter. lots of mosquitoes. They help humans by Little brown bats live almost everywhere eating mosquitoes that bite us and beetles in the United States except in very dry that eat our crops. They are important to areas, such as deserts. the ecosystem too. Without bats, there Bats often hunt at night about 10 feet would be too many insects. above the water, where they can fi nd lots Bats are gentle animals. They do not of insects. Bats also need water to drink. attack humans. There is no reason to be They fl y across the surface and swallow scared of a bat. But remember, bats are water as they fl y. wild animals. Never try to touch a bat. If During the day, little brown bats roost, you fi nd a sick or hurt bat, be sure to tell or rest. Bats live only where they have an adult right away. safe places to rest during the day. Hollow trees and tree cavities made by wood- peckers are popular roosts. During the early summer, many moth- ers and their babies live together in giant nursery roosts, which are places that always stay warm and dry. In the fall, the weather gets colder and insects disappear. Little brown bat colo- nies move to a hibernaculum. This is a safe place where they will spend the win- ter, such as a cave or a mine. Bats may fl y as far as 170 miles to get to their favorite Photo: Bat Conservation International, Inc. hibernaculum. Bats catch insects by hunting at night. Laura Schumacher, student in Fisheries and Wildlife, and Nancy Allen, fi sheries and wildlife faculty, Oregon State University. Species description Bats are mammals in the order to eat, it catches Chiroptera. This name means “hand- it with its wing,” because their wings are made uropatagium up of very long fi ngers. Their arms (the skin actually are quite short. around Little brown bats are about the bat’s 2 inches long. Their wingspan is tail). 9 inches. They come in different The shades of brown. Their fur is glossy, bat scoops the insect up in its tail and and their feet are large. They look then eats it. just like another very common bat, All bats are mammals. Being a the big brown bat, but they are much mammal means that bats give birth smaller. to live young. Little brown bat All of the bats we have in Oregon mothers are pregnant for 45 days. are insectivores. This means they eat The baby bat is born in June or July. only insects. Bats fi nd insects using Mother bats nurse their young until echolocation. They send out very they can catch insects themselves. high-pitched sounds that humans Baby bats learn to fl y quickly; cannot hear. These sounds bounce they are fl ying by the time they are off an object and return to the bats’ 3 weeks old. ears. The returning sound tells the Bats are the only mammals that bats all about the object. Using only can fl y. Little brown bats can fl y as sound, the bat knows what it is, if fast as 22 miles per hour. it is moving, and how far away Little brown bats live in colonies. it is. Whales and dolphins Hundreds of bats often are found liv- hunt in the same way. ing together. When a bat During their winter hibernation, fi nds an bats do not eat. All summer, they insect store fat in their bodies, which keeps them alive through the winter. Every time a bat wakes up during the win- ter, it uses some of its fat and energy. If a bat wakes up too many times, it will die. This is why we should never disturb hibernating bats. 2 Creating habitat You can make a place better for bats by mak- ing sure it has every- thing they need. A small pond attracts insects for bats to eat and gives them a place to drink. Flowers that bloom at night and herbs that smell good attract the insects that bats like to eat. The following plants will help Photo: P. Myers Photo: P. make a good habitat for bats. You can attract bats by building a comfort- Chives Lemon balm able home for them. Borage Sweet rocket Mint Evening primrose helps baby bats when they are learning Marjoram Soapwort to fl y.) 3 Moths and other insects also like light. • Has several ⁄4-inch-wide chambers for A special kind of light, called a mercury lots of bats. vapor light, gives bats an easy place to • Has open space around it so bats can catch insects. land and take off easily. Dead trees, called snags, and old trees To fi nd detailed instructions for build- with peeling bark give bats safe places to ing a bat house, see the resources under rest and roost. “Learn more!” on page 4. Bats will come back year after year to Place two bat houses back-to-back on the same roosts. If they like the habitat a pole at least 12 feet above the ground. you have created, you will see them every They should be in a quiet spot where they year when they return from hibernating. get some sun everyday. Building a bat house Some bats, including the little brown bat, will live in a bat house. You can buy Bats need our help! bat houses, or you can build a simple bat Bat habitat is disappearing. Old, house from exterior plywood. The rough hollow trees often are cut down. The surface helps the bats hold on while they caves and mines that bats like some- sleep. times are closed, or too many people Painting the outside dark brown will enter them and wake up the bats. keep it warmer inside. Never paint the Bats also suffer when they eat inside because paint can make the bats insects that have been poisoned by sick. pesticides. A good bat house: There are lots of ways we can help • Is at least 24 inches tall and 14 inches bats. Remember, food, water, and wide. shelter are what they need to survive. 1 • Has air vents that are ⁄2 inch wide. • Has a landing platform that hangs down 5 inches below the entrance hole. (This 3 Fun facts thumb elbow Bats are not blind. Some have very good eyesight. fi ngers A little brown bat can eat 1,200 mosquitoes in a night. uropatagium tail Bats are the only mammal A bat’s wing is made up of very long fi ngers. that can fl y. Little brown bats can live to be 30 years old. The biggest bat in the world is the gigantic fl ying fox. It has a wingspan of 6 feet and weighs 2 pounds. The smallest mammal in the world is the bumblebee bat, weighing only 2 grams. During the Civil War, bat guano (droppings) was used as gunpowder. Learn more! America’s Neighborhood Bats. 1997. Organization for Bat Conservation. Merlin Tuttle. University of Texas http://www.batconservation.org Press. Understanding Bats. Kim Williams and Bat Conservation International. Rob Mies. 1996. Bird Watcher’s Digest http://www.batcon.org/home/ Press. The Bat House Builder’s Handbook. University of Michigan Museum of Merlin Tuttle & Donna Hensley. 1993. Zoology. http://animaldiversity.ummz. Bat Conservation International. umich.edu/accounts/myotis/m._lucifu- gus.html Additional wildlife publications in this series are available on the OSU Oregon Extension Service website at http:// 4-H extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog. Wildlife Stewards © 2006 Oregon State University. This publication was produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State Univer- sity Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials—without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran’s status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Published September 2006..