#batweek

They’ve been called creepy, scary, and spooky, but bats are an important species that impact our daily lives in ways we might not even realize. From pollinating our favorite fruits to eating pesky insects to inspiring medical marvels, bats are heroes of the night.

Bat Week — held the last week in October — celebrates the role of bats in nature and all that these amazing creatures do for us. Check out some interesting bat facts: https://www.doi.gov/blog/13-facts-about-bats

Do you think of forests for bat homes too? Quite a few bats like to hang out in living and dead trees during the day so they can catch a few zzzzz’s. The nooks and crannies of great big douglas-firs and other craggy trees as well as the holes and cavities in dead trees lying on the ground can provide many a bat a good day’s rest. Fortunately, we have quite a few forests full of old growth trees and dead trees for bats to use.

Have you seen any bats while out and about in the park? Have you spent a lovely sunset gazing at a wildflower meadow and watched as bats flew out of the woods into a darkening sky? What is your favorite bat memory? ~ams

BAT WEEK OCTOBER 24 - 31, 2020

Bat Week is an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night - eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.

Happy #BatWeek! Did you know that nine species of bat have been found in Glacier? Let's meet them!

1. Long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis): Named for its notably long ears, this bat is found all across Montana in suitable habitat and consumes enormous quantities of insects nightly.  

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie

[alt text: Gloved hand holds a small brown bat with long ears]

2. Little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus): Also known as Little Brown Bat (LBB), it’s especially skilled at hunting in swarms of small insects. LBBs often catch prey with the tip of their wing before transferring it to their mouth!  

Photo: NPS/Dylan Schneider

[alt text: A bat with outstretched wings flies off the gloved hand of a researcher]

3. Long-legged myotis (Myotis volans): These western bats prefer mountain forests. They can detect prey from relatively long distances in open spaces, but also hunt well in cluttered habitats like forest canopies. 

Photo: Kristi DuBois

[alt text: A medium-sized dark brown bat with long legs on a tree trunk]

4. Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus): Studies of big brown bat feeding habits have shown that they eat significant amounts of crop and forest pests, like scarab beetles and cucumber beetles.  

Photo: USFWS/Ann Froschauer

[alt text: A fuzzy brown bat hangs upside down in a cave]

5. Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans): These bats prefer roosting on or within trees, especially in old-growth forests. Their relatively slow flight distinguishes them from other species of bat.  

Photo: Kristi DuBois

[alt text: A brown bat with silver-tipped fur crawls up a tree]

6. California myotis (Myotis californicus): These bats are among North America’s smallest, enabling them to feed on especially tiny insect prey. It was not until miniature radio-transmitters weighing less than half a gram were developed that these bats could be tracked!  

Photo: Katie Smith, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

[alt text: Gloved hands hold a tiny golden-brown bat]

7. Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis): North America’s most abundant ‘tree bat.’ Unlike most bats, Eastern red bats often give birth to twins, and can have litters of up to five young!  

Photo: Josh Henderson

[alt text: A strikingly orange-colored bat with a small baby clinging to it]

8. Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus): Hoary bats are easily distinguishable from other species by their fur’s frosty appearance. Glacier may be one of the most substantial migratory routes for hoary bats across the continent!  

Photo: Kristi DuBois

[alt text: A bat with distinctive frosty-looking fur clings to craggy tree bark]

9. Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis): These bats are more closely associated with water than most other North American bats. They can be very difficult to distinguish from little brown bats – one way to tell is by their echolocation calls, which occur at a higher frequency.  

Photo: Kristi DuBois

[alt text: A furry brown bat with mouselike appearance clings to tree bark]