Hobbies And Interests
Bat Facts
Bats are warm-blooded mammals that give birth to live young and suckle them. Their ability to fly distinguishes them from other mammals. Their wings are folds of skin attached to their bodies and hind legs, supported by a bone structure made up of three bones. Bats can live as long as 35 years. They use echoes of the sounds they produce, which is beyond the range humans can hear, to locate objects in their path. Bats perform an invaluable service to farmers as they eat their body weight in insects each day.
Little Brown Bats
Little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, weigh about 0.2 oz. with a wingspan of about 8 inches and are the most common bat found in South Jersey and across North America. However, the numbers of little brown bats are dropping as of 2011, due to white-nose syndrome, which hit New Jersey bats in 2009. They have brown fur and short, round ears and produce a single pup each year. A little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour.
Big Brown Bats
Big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, are so named as they are large for a North American bat, weigh up to 1.2 oz. with a wingspan of up to 16 inches, or twice the span of the little brown bat. Their glossy fur is copper-colored on their backs and lighter on their undersides. With black wing membranes, tails and ears, these bats are easily distinguishable because of their size and broad noses. Females generally have one or often two pups in May or early June. With the drop in numbers of little brown bats, the population of big brown bats in New Jersey is rising, according to 2010 bat-count statistics.
Northern Long-Eared Bats
Northern long-eared bats, Myotis septentrionalis, roost behind loose pieces of bark, within hollow trees and in buildings but hibernate in caves and abandoned mines. These bats weigh about 0.3 oz. and have a wing span of about 10 inches. Their long ears are a distinguishing characteristic. Northern long-eared bats prey on caddis flies, beetles, moths, leaf hoppers and flies after sunset and again before dawn.
Eastern Pipistrelles
Eastern pipistrelles, Pipistrellus subflavus, are occasionally spotted in South Jersey roosting in the foliage of oak and maple trees and in man-made structures. This small bat has pale yellow, grizzled fur with pale wing edges. Weighing a quarter of an ounce they have a wingspan of about 8 inches. They live in open woods near water and roost in trees, caves, cracks in rocks and structures like barns and attics.