Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)

The Gray Bat

The Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens) is an endangered species which belongs to the chiroptera family. Chiroptera literally translates to "hand-wing" as bats’ wings look like outstretched hands and are basically made up of fingers with membranous skin attached between and a free, clawed thumb at the top. Bats are the only mammals that can fly.

The Gray Bat is located in southeastern United States and is the largest bat found in the area. They dwell in limestone caves, usually found near a ready water source, and they will migrate from cave to cave during the year, depending on the season. There are very few caves that are perfect for the bats’ needs, so it seems that only a few caves are used for the entire population. Bats hibernate in the winter and will often return to the same cave year after year to do so. The biggest threat to the Gray Bat is the destruction of these caves.

Gray Bats grow to a length of approximately 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) with a wingspan of 11-12 inches (27-30 cm). They are covered with dark gray fur which can be reddish-colored in the summer. The Gray Bat only weighs about 7-9 grams.

Bats are important to the ecosystem as they eat insects and, therefore, control the insect population. Completely nocturnal, bats use echoes to help in their night-time foraging, and they will often stop during their flights to find food and rest, hanging upside down to help the food digest. The Gray Bat will often fly for miles to find good feeding grounds.

Over the winter, the Gray Bat female will store sperm as she hibernates and will become pregnant when she wakes in the spring. The females wake from hibernation first and will find a cave to roost, called a maternity colony, where they will stay to give birth. Their cycles are very synchronized in that the births happen at close to the same time. The young bats are born in early June, and they stay with the mother until they make their first flight, about 20-25 days after they are born. The babies are cared for primarily by the mother who will leave the roost to feed and will have to identify her offspring when she comes back mostly by scent, sound, and memory. The baby bats nurse while hanging upside down, clinging to the mother as they suckle. The males and non-pregnant females will form a bachelor colony where they will stay until late July, at which time they rejoin the maternity colony.

Further Information on the Gray Bat:

E-mail info@unitedstatesfauna.com to add your Gray Bat related website.

Bibliography:
Bats. Encarta Encyclopedia, © 2000.
Paul Massicot. Animal Info - Gray Bat, © 2004. Accessed 08/05/04 at http://www.animalinfo.org/species/bat/myotgris.htm
Kentucky Bat Working Group. Gray Bat. Accessed 08/05/04 at http://www.biology.eku.edu/bats/graybat.htm
Gray Bat. Accessed 08/05/04 at http://www.pfmt.org/wildlife/endangered/gray_bat.htm