A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Myotis Lucifugus
The Little Brown Bat is a species that is well known. It is very small with an overall body size that is from 2.5 inches to 4 inches. They also weigh no more than half an ounce. The span of their wings when outstretched can be up to 11 inches. They are brown in color and they have ears which are short and round.
The Little Brown Bat sleeps and grooms during the day. They are fast creatures and hunt by night. They live in caves and mines during the winter months. Their hibernation cycle can last from four to six months.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Subfamily: Myotinae
Genus: Myotis
Species: M. lucifugus
Binomial name
Myotis lucifugus
(LeConte, 1831)
The Little Brown Bat is typically found living around swamp lands. They have been found living in Alaska. They are also well known in areas of Georgia and Arkansas. The largest recorded number of them in the United States happens to be in New Hampshire. The only states where they aren’t known to live include Texas, Florida, and Mexico. This is strange to experts though since those are humid regions and these bats certainly do live the humid areas. The Little Brown Bat is the one that people are the most familiar with. There are more of them in the United States and Canada than of other species combined of bats. Those that live in colder regions including Alaska take part in hibernating during the winter. This can take up six months per year, so they aren’t always seen in the high numbers that are really out there.
Found this bat attached to the side of my garbage can when I went to bring it up to the curb.
Good find, but looking at the broad nose I would say this is a Big Brown Bat, instead of a Little Brown Bat.
Spotted on Jun 19, 2014
Submitted on Jun 24, 2014
