Indiana bat

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Indiana Bat

Conservation status

Endangered (IUCN)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Myotis
Species:	M. sodalis

Binomial name

Myotis sodalis
Miller & Allen, 1928

Approximate range of the Indiana bat

The Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) is a medium-sized, dull gray, black, or chesnut bat listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It lives primarily in eastern and midwestern states and in parts of the south.

1 Description
2 Distribution
3 Reproduction
4 Endangered status
5 References
6 External link

[edit] Description

The length of the Indiana bat's head and body ranges from 1.5 to 2 inches, and the animal weighs about 1/4 of an ounce. These bats are very difficult to distinguish from other species of bat, especially the more common little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), unless examined closely. The size of the feet, the length of the toe hairs, and the presence of a keel on the calcar are characteristics used to differentiate the Indiana bat from other bats. Indiana bats live an average of five to 10 years, but some have reached 14 years of age. It can have fur from black to chesnut with a light gray to cinnamon belly.

[edit] Distribution

The Indiana bat spends summer months living throughout the eastern United States. During winter, however, they cluster together and hibernate in only a few caves. Since about 1975, the population of Indiana bats has declined by about 50 percent. Based on a 1985 census of hibernating bats, the Indiana bat population is estimated at about 244,000. About 23 percent of these bats hibernate in caves in Indiana. The Indiana bat lives in caves only in winter; but, there are few caves that provide the conditions necessary for hibernation. Stable, low temperatures are required to allow the bats to reduce their metabolic rate and conserve fat reserves. These bats hibernate in large, tight clusters which may contain thousands of individuals. Indiana bats feed entirely on night flying insects, and a colony of bats can consume thousands of insects each night. The range of the Indiana bat overlaps with that of the more narrowly-distributed gray bat (Myotis grisescens), also listed as endangered.

[edit] Reproduction

Indiana bats give birth to only one young in midsummer. The young bats are capable of flight in a month. They spend the rest of the summer and fall accumulating fat reserves for hibernation. In the fall, bats congregate in caves and begin a swarming period. During this time, the bats will fly in and out of their cave throughout the night. Mating occurs during swarming period, but females store sperm during hibernation and do not become pregnant until spring. In spring, bats emerge from hibernation and migrate to their summer homes. Females form maternity colonies of up to 100 individuals during the summer.

[edit] Endangered status

The Indiana bat was listed as "endangered throughout its range" in the Federal Register, March 11, 1967. Reasons for the bat's decline include disturbance of colonies by human beings, pesticide use and loss of summer habitat resulting from the clearing of forest cover.