Hoary bat
Hoary bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Genus: | Lasiurus |
Species: | L. cinereus
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Binomial name | |
Lasiurus cinereus (Beauvois, 1796)
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Distribution of the hoary bat (2008) |
The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America and much of South America, with disjunct populations in the Galápagos Islands and Hawaii.
Description
The hoary bat averages 13 to 14.5 cm (5.1 to 5.7 in) long with a 40 cm (15.5 in) wingspan and a weight of 26 g (0.92 oz). It is the largest bat normally found in Canada and Chile. Its coat is dense and dark brown, with white tips to the hairs that give the species its 'hoary' appearance for which it is named.[2] The body is covered in fur except for the undersides of the wings. Males and females are dimorphic in body mass, with females 40% heavier than males.[3]
Behavior
The bat normally roosts alone on trees, hidden in the foliage, but on occasion has been seen in caves with other bats. It prefers woodland, mainly coniferous forests, but hunts over open areas or lakes. It hunts alone and its main food source is moths. The bats can cover an impressive 39 km (24 mi) while foraging.[2] Hoary bats are long-distance migrants, spending the winter in Central America and the southwestern United States and the spring and summer in more northern latitudes in the United States and Canada.[4]
Reproduction
The reproductive cycle of the hoary bat is not yet fully documented, but it is thought that they mate in August with birth occurring in June of the following year. It is thought that the gestation period is only 40 days and that mammalian embryonic diapause (delayed implantation) may play a role. Females typically bear twins, though litter sizes range from 1-4.[3] Young are typically weaned after 7 weeks. [5]
Conservation
While not listed as threatened or endangered, hoary bats suffer significant mortality from wind turbines. Across the United States in 2005, 40% of all bats killed by wind turbines were hoary bats—over 1000 hoary bats were killed in 2005.[6] Most bat deaths occur during migration in the spring and fall.[7] One common theory explaining this is that bats are attracted to the tall structure, possibly believing them to be trees that can be used for rest.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Gonzalez, E.; Barquez, R.; Arroyo-Cabrales, J. (2016). "Lasiurus cinereus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T11345A22120305. {{cite iucn}}: error: unknown url (help)
- ^ a b "Hoary bat videos, photos and facts - Lasiurus cinereus". ARKive. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ a b Shump, Karl A.; Shump, Ann U. (1982). "Lasiurus borealis". Mammalian Species (183): 1–6. doi:10.2307/3503843. JSTOR 3503843. Cite error: The named reference "Shump 1982" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Cryan, P. M.; Wolf, B. O. (2003). "Sex differences in the thermoregulation and evaporative water loss of a heterothermic bat, Lasiurus cinereus, during its spring migration". Journal of Experimental Biology. 206 (19): 3381–3390. doi:10.1242/jeb.00574. PMID 12939370.
- ^ Koehler, C. E.; Barclay, R. M. R. (2000). "Post-Natal Growth and Breeding Biology of the Hoary Bat (Lasiurus Cinereus)". Journal of Mammalogy. 81 (1): 234–244. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2000)081<0234:PNGABB>2.0.CO;2.
- ^ Kunz, Thomas H.; Arnett, Edward B.; Erickson, Wallace P.; Hoar, Alexander R.; Johnson, Gregory D.; Larkin, Ronald P.; Strickland, M Dale; Thresher, Robert W.; Tuttle, Merlin D. (2007). "Ecological impacts of wind energy development on bats: Questions, research needs, and hypotheses". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 5 (6): 315–324. doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2007)5[315:EIOWED]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1540-9295.
- ^ Baerwald, E. F.; Patterson, W. P.; Barclay, R. M. R. (2014). "Origins and migratory patterns of bats killed by wind turbines in southern Alberta: Evidence from stable isotopes". Ecosphere. 5 (9): art118. doi:10.1890/ES13-00380.1.
- ^ Jameson, Joel W.; Willis, Craig K. R. (1 November 2014). "Activity of tree bats at anthropogenic tall structures: implications for mortality of bats at wind turbines". Animal Behaviour. 97: 145–152. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.09.003. ISSN 0003-3472. S2CID 21715313.
External links
- NatureServe
- Animal Diversity Web
Media related to Lasiurus cinereus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Lasiurus cinereus at Wikispecies
- Bat Conservation International Species Profile
- Use dmy dates from July 2013
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Lasiurini
- Bats of North America
- Bats of Central America
- Bats of South America
- Bats of Oceania
- Bats of Canada
- Bats of Brazil
- Bats of Mexico
- Bats of the United States
- Mammals of Colombia
- Mammals of Chile
- Mammals of Hawaii
- Mammals of Peru
- Fauna of the Western United States
- Fauna of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Mammals described in 1796