#vespertilionidae

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), family Vespertilionidae, Atlanta, Arizona, USA

My, what big ears you have! Spotted bats have the largest ears of any North American bat, reaching up to 4 cm (1.5 in) long-- nearly a third of their total body length! This helps them to hear their echolocation calls, which are some of the lowest pitched of any bat. Most calls fall within 9–12 kHz, well within the range of human hearing.

📍 Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina

🗓 Date: October 4, 2022

🐾 Media: Image

🌿 Species: Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)

📝 Notes: Small tree-roosting bat commonly found in forest edges, clearings, and suburban areas with tree cover. Recognized by its reddish-orange fur and furred tail membrane. Often solitary or found roosting in foliage rather than caves or buildings.

Typically active at dusk, feeding on flying insects such as moths, beetles, and other nocturnal invertebrates. May be observed in flight at twilight or roosting camouflaged among leaves during the day.

This specimen was dead upon discovery.

Indian Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus coromandra), family Vespertilionidae, order Chiroptera, Karnataka, India