Species Factsheet
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Threatened
and Endangered Species Factsheet |
 Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
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Description: Unlike the common little brown bat, which has black-brown lips, the Indiana bat has pink lips. This characteristic is useful for identification when a cluster of hibernating bats is encountered. The Indiana bat has a smaller hind foot with short hairs on the toes and a calcar (a spur extending from the foot) with a slight keel. The hair of the Indiana bat is black the first two-thirds of its length and then gradually fades to gray. The color of the tip varies from dark gray to black, or dark brown to brown. Indiana bats weigh up to 0.28 ounces, are usually 4.4 to 5.4 inches long, have a wingspan of up to 10.5 inches, and have a life expectancy from one to 20 years. The bones of the lower skeleton are reduced in size and thickness to lighten the load a bat must carry in flight. The reduced skeletal structure prevents bats from roosting upright like a bird, and is one of the reasons why bats hang upside down. The bat's femur (thigh bone) is also rotated, resulting in a backward orientation of the knee. Habitat: There are two distinctive types of habitats for the Indiana bat. Indiana bats hibernate in dense clusters, in some cases literally carpeting cave walls and ceilings. The hibernation clusters can contain up to 300 bats per square foot. They hibernate in cool, limestone caves or mine shafts. Hibernation can begin as early as September and extend nearly to June. In summer, the bats disperse to spend their days under bridges, in old buildings, and under the loose bark of dead and dying trees along forested, slow-moving streams. Feeding habits: Indiana bats are nocturnal, and their diet consists of insects, especially small soft-bodied moths, beetles, flies and caddisflies that are trapped under closed tree canopies over small streams. Current Iowa range: Appanoose, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington and Wayne counties. Do something WILD!: Help the many bat species in your area by building a bat house.
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