Bats!
Boo!
Happy Halloween all,
First things first...
Here's yet another reminder... The tragedy on the west coast hasn't gone away simply because it's no longer in the media... Learn more here. Once again, note how the numbers have changed for the worse... 16 dead, 85 hurt, and 2,800 uninsured or underinsured homes and businesses that don't just rebuild themselves...
Onward...
Thought we might take a quick look at the ubiquitous "Little Brown Bat" (Myotis lucifugus and aka "LBB").
The above is a public domain image from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The photographer is Don Pfitzer.
As you probably know, bats aren't birds. Birds belong to the Aves class, whereas bats (including the Little Brown Bat) belong to the Mammalia class. As the class name implies, LBBs are mammals, and unlike birds they are born live, (not hatched), have hair, and have sweat glands, (including those used to produce milk). Stuff you might not know about these little suckers, (sorry... couldn't resist the pun):
- They are common around the world
- For those of you in the New England area, LBB brethren include:
- Eastern Small-footed Bat, (Myotis leibii)
- Northern Long-eared Bat, (Myotis septentrionalis)
- Indiana Bat, (Myotis sodalis)
- Silver-haired Bat, (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
- Eastern Pipistrelle, (Perimyotis subflavus)
- Big Brown Bat, (Eptesicus fuscus)
- Eastern Red Bat, (Lasiurus borealis)
- Hoary Bat, (Lasiurus cinereus)
- Little brown bats can live 30 years or more
- They can see quite well, (though they still do use echolocation)
- During winter, LBBs both migrate to warmer areas and hibernate, (during hibernation the typical bat will reduce its heart rate from 200 beats per minute to 20)
- On a good night, a typical bat can eat 250 bugs (mosquitoes, moths, beetles, etc.) within 15 minutes
- LBB colonies can range in size up to a maximum of 1,000
- Because a single colony of little brown bats can devour 250,000 bugs in a single feast, farmers are increasingly using them for pest control
- And no, they don't get tangled in people's hair
CapeCodAlan
Below is a list of the resources I used for this post (and others).
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- This is the "Big Daddy" of the birding sites. And its complexity reflects that of its subject matter. It's well worth spending a few hours roaming around this project.
- Wikipedia -- From "hum" to "hummingbird", Wikipedia has got you covered...
- Audubon Society -- For me, this site is good, but could be better. Its "About Birds" takes the reader from plates depicting the digestive tracts of birds, to the birds themselves... My bottom line is that I just don't find the interface that intuitive.
- U.S. Geological Survey -- The USGS entry is good, but suffers from the same sort of convoluted interface as the Audubon site... There's a wealth of information in there, but you'll need to dig for it.
- MSN Encarta -- Good old Microsoft Encarta... This is a nice "general use" resource.
- The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds” -- When it comes to bird books, this is (in my opinion) the Holy Grail. The binding, color drawings, scope, detail... It's all great. This book sells for around $35, and belongs in every person's library whether or not she or he is a birder. Hats off to David Allen Sibley.
- Peterson's "A Field Guide to the Birds" -- Before Sibley, there was Roger Tory Peterson... And, his work too is a masterstroke. I've got the 1947 edition of his book... It's old and it's tired, but still a "must own" regardless of the year.
- ”Birds of New England” from Smithsonian Handbooks -- Fred J. Alsop III and the Smithsonian have really done a superb job of documenting and illustrating the birds of the northeast.
- Chapman's "Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America" -- This is a more scholarly text complete with black and white illustrations.
- ”Birds Of North America” published by Golden -- A smaller book, this works well as a good field guide.
Also, the following two, "more coffee-table" books deserve mention...
- "Birdwatching" from publisher "Discovery Travel Adventures".
- Ortho Books' "How to Attract Birds".
Comments
The bat you picture and label as a little brown bat looks suspiciously like a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus).
{CCA replies: Hi Mr. Brack... Thanks for the observation! Looks like I'd better check with the source of the photo, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service... Stay tuned!}
{CCA continues his reply... EXCELLENT call Mr. Brack!!! You are correct sir! The photo of the bat is indeed that of a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Here's how we know:
i.) A comparison of the size of the man's hand to the total wingspan of the bat clearly indicates that the wingspan is at least 33 cm (or apx. 13"). The wingspan of the little brown bat is a max of about 10.6".
ii.) I contacted the photographer, Mr. Pfitzer, and he immediately confirmed that the picture was in fact that of a big brown bat.
So stay tuned for the next post... In it I will flesh out the details of this story including my contact with the source of the photo, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Thanks again go out to Mr. Brack... Excellent catch!}
Posted by: Virgil Brack, Jr. | November 2, 2007 7:45 AM
Excellent article. However (and with tongue firmly implanted in cheek), I believe you left out one of the most common bats.
It can be found in virtually every location of the country, but most commonly found in Washington, DC. I refer, of couse, to the "Great American Ding."
Posted by: Gerry | November 3, 2007 3:20 PM