Species: Lasiurus cinereus

Hoary Bat

Species

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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Dorsum yellowish brown to mahogany brown, or mixed dark brownish and grayish, strongly frosted with white; venter whitish on belly, pale brown on chest, yellowish on throat; entire upper surface of interfemoral membrane is heavily furred; ears rimmed with black; length of head and body about 85 mm; adult total length 120-146 mm; forearm 46-55 mm; mass 25-35 g; greatest length of skull 17.0-18.7 mm; maxillary toothrow 5.3-6.5 mm; skull robust, rostrum broad and short, zygomatic arches widespread (Hall 1981, Shump and Shunp 1982, Ingles 1965).

Articles:

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

June 01, 2013

This article originally appeared in the State of Washington Bat Conservation Plan. Further information is available from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Image copyright Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org

Report: Washington State Bat Conservation Plan

May 18, 2013

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released a Bat Conservation Plan for the 15 species of bats found in Washington State. All but four of these species occur within the greater Puget Sound watershed1, including:

Fringed Myotis. Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Chiroptera

Family

Vespertilionidae

Genus

Lasiurus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106446

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Morcego - Murciélago Escarchado - chauve-souris cendrée

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Bats

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae - Lasiurus - New World LASIURUS were placed in the genus NYCTERIS by Hall (1981), who based the change on nomenclatural (rather than biological) concerns; few if any other authors have followed this change (see Jones et al. 1992; Koopman, in Wilson and Reeder 1993). See Baker et al. (1988) for a genic analysis and information on relationship to other LASIURUS. Subspecies SEMOTUS of Hawaii formerly was regarded by some authors as a distinct species.

Ecology and Life History

Migration

false - false - true - Northward migration in spring appears to stem mainly from wintering areas in California and Mexico; in summer, adult males are distributed mainly in the western half of North America whereas females dominate samples from eastern North America (Cryan 2003).

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds chiefly on large moths and to a lesser extent on other insects over clearings. Begins foraging in early evening before it becomes too dark to see them (Layne 1978) (others report that this species emerges late in the evening). May forage around lights in nonurban situations (Furlonger et al. 1987). May forage at considerable distances (a mile or more) from the diurnal roost site; often along streams or lake edges. Hunting area may be defended if food is scarce.

Reproduction Comments

In North America, breeding occurs September-November, with delayed fertilization. Gestation lasts 90 days. Litter size is 1-4 (average 2), with one litter per year born between mid-May and early July in most areas. Young are able to fly at 4 weeks. Probably becomes sexually mature in first summer. Female sometimes may carry young during feeding flight.

Ecology Comments

Basically solitary, except for mother-young association; however, during migration, groups of up to hundreds of individuals may form. Dispersed population allows little chance to obtain density figures. Some mother-young groups often change roosts whereas others do not; movements generally are less than 100 m from the previous roost. Important predators include various birds and snakes.

Length

Weight

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-05

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-05

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - Range encompasses most of North America, from Canada (southern British Columbia, southeastern Mackenzie, Hudson Bay, and southern Quebec) south through Mexico to Guatemala; also western South America (Colombia and Venezuela to central Chile, Uruguay, and central Argentina), Hawaii, Galapagos, Bermuda, and (accidently) other islands. This species is rare or absent in most of the southeastern United States and in deserts of the Southwest. It is the only nonmarine mammalian species native to Hawaii (subspecies semotus). Wintering areas for northern breeders include the southeastern United States, southern California, and northern Mexico. In the United States, adult females bear young in northeastern, midwestern, and prairie states, and in small numbers south to Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106446