Western Long-Eared Bat Or Myotis Evotis

The bat which makes up about 25% of all mammals is the only true flying mammal. There are 42 species in the US. Bats are one of our most misunderstood and feared animals but it is probably the most beneficial of the animals to humans

The Western Long-eared bat is approximately 3.4 to 3.9 inches in length with a body weight of .18 to .28 ounces and a wingspan average of 9.4 inches. The western Long-eared is located from Western Canada, Western United States and parts of the Baja. Lives in a variety of areas, but mostly in the forested areas, both dry forest and subalpine forest . It can also be found in semiarid shrublands, sage and agricultural areas. Daytime roosts include abandoned buildings, loose slabs of bark, caves, mines cliff fissures and sink holes. In the winter, as with most bats, they tend to hibernate in caves and old mines.

The Western Long-eared is insectivorous and feeds on moths, beetles, net-winged insects and true bugs. The flight of this bat is slow and very maneuverable. This enables the Little Big-eared to glean insects from leaves as well as in the air. They will feed over small bodies of water and this particular bat can turn off its echolocation and “listen for insects”. It enables them to sneak up on prey and catch them before they can get away. This bat uses tremendous amounts of energy because of its slow flights, however this particular bat can hunt all night long and eats tremendous amounts of insects.

This is another fairly long lived mammal. The longest recorded is 22 years, although the average is much less. This bats maternity group may be from 5-30 individuals . The enemies of this bat include possible chipmunks and bears as well as other small animal predators. Removal of old forest and intrusions into caves and mines used for roosts has a detrimental effect also. The western Long-eared changes roosts often to limit the amount of scent that can build up. As with other bats, this species has an effect on insects control.

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