Dallas's Best Bat Removal

United States Bat Species

Of the known 1,300 species, more than 40 live in the United States. Bats are the only mammals, warm-blooded animals that give birth, that can fly. Bats have traded wings for arms and hands. They have fur on their bodies and sometimes their heads, but their wings are bare skin membranes. Bats come in a variety of colors ranging from red to tan and brown to gray. Their ears are large and very noticeable. They may even stick up from the side of the head. Even their noses are unique to their species, some being small and simple, looking like a pig's nose, or being shaped like a leaf.

Difference in Sizes

In the US, the western pipistrelle bat is the smallest bat. It weighs less than a single penny, matures to adulthood measuring between 2.5 and 3.5 inches with an 8-inch wingspan. That means their body is about the size of your thumb and their wingspan is smaller than putting your thumbs side-by-side and stretching your fingers. In contrast, the largest bat in the US is the greater mastiff bat. Its adult body measures around 7 inches long with a whopping wingspan of 21 to 23 inches wide. Somehow, they only weigh in at around 2 ounces despite all that.

Where They Live

Bats live in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. There are even bats that live in Hawaii. Those Hawaiian hoary bats are the only native, terrestrial mammal on the islands. Some even live in Alaska. This just goes to show the huge variety of climates that bats can live in.

Many varieties live in cities, caves, woodlands, deserts, and suburban communities alike, all within the United States and territories. You can find roosts in many places like caves and trees, as well as cracks in buildings or bridges, including your home's attic. The largest colony of bats in an urban area is in Austin, Texas. This extremely large colony roosts under the Congress Avenue Bridge in the summer and is composed of around 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Types of Bats

As a general rule, bats like warmer temperatures. The big brown bat and eastern red bat hibernate during the winter right where they are. Many other bats migrate to warmer climates because they do not have the ability to store fat for the harsh northern winters. Most of the species of bats in the US consume insects, mostly pest types. There are approximately four species that focus on fruit and flowers for their nutrition. That means those bats pollinate flowers that only bloom at night. The closest vampire bats are in Mexico.

How They Hunt

Bats use echolocation to hunt. Utilizing sounds like clicks or screams to navigate their way around the world is beneficial for the nighttime hunters. They do have the ability to see and use a combination of sight and echolocation to travel distances, move around their roosts, and to search for mates. Their hunts often focus on echolocation and their superb flying maneuverability. They do not stop flying and have developed a method of transferring their catches to their mouths to eat while in flight. This can make their flying look chaotic and without purpose. That is furthered by the fact that insects are tiny and can change direction in less than a second. Bats have developed a method of keeping up with their prey.

Lifestyle of Bats

These nocturnal creatures congregate in large roosts for winter hibernation or migration. They breed in the fall or winter to have offspring in late spring. The average gestation of a pregnant female bat is around 9 weeks. Babies, called pups, will grow quickly and can fly after only a few weeks. These small creatures with longer lifespans can live into their teens and rarely into their twenties. But there is a high mortality rate for young bats.

Endangered Species

Of all the bats in the United States, there are some who have made the endangered species list which includes the gray bat, the Hawaiian hoary bat, the Indiana bat, the lesser long-nosed bat, the Mexican long-nosed bat, the Ozark big-eared bat, and the Virginia big-eared bat. Some of the known threats to bat populations include diseases, like white-nose syndrome, loss of their natural habitats, pollution from pesticides and insecticides killing their food sources, and general fear from an uneducated public.