Spotted bat
Euderma maculatum
SUBFAMILY
Vespertilioninae
TAXONOMY
Euderma maculatum (J. A. Allen, 1891), Santa Clara Valley, California, United States.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: L'Oreillard maculé; Spanish: Murcielago moteado.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Adults weigh about 0.53–0.71 oz (15–20 g), and their body length ranges 4.1–5.0 in (10.5–12.6 cm). A distinctive bat with three, large white spots on black dorsal fur. It has huge, pink ears that are about the same length as its 1.8–2.2 in (4.5–5.5 cm) forearms. Its underside is mostly white, and its face is brown and black.
DISTRIBUTION
North America from northwest Mexico, through the western United States and into British Columbia in Canada.
HABITAT
Ponderosa pine and other forests, typically near water and rocky cliffs.
BEHAVIOR
Active through the night, spotted bats have echolocation calls that are audible to humans, including buzzes made while feeding. During the daytime, they rest in roosts set in small openings in steep cliffs sides.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insectivores, these bats capture moths and other prey insects in fight, sometimes diving within a few feet of the ground after a low-flying arthropod.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Little is known of the reproductive biology of this species. The young are born in late spring to early summer. Litter size is typically one altricial young per female.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Helps to control insect populations.
