Little brown myotis
Myotis lucifugus
Appearance
The Little brown myotis, as the name implies, is a little bat. The adults weigh only eight grams and are about nine centimetres long. Their wings are membranes of skin which they use for flying, crawling, catching prey and grooming. Their ears are very large compared to the size of their head.
Range & Habitat
Little brown myotis live in a wide range of habitats, from northern and coastal forests to grasslands and pine forests. They use two different roosts: one for resting and one for sleeping. They will roost in trees, buildings or caves. In the winter, the little brown myotis finds a frost-free place to hibernate, such as a cave, cellar, or unoccupied building.
Reciprocal relationships
They feed during dusk and dawn. During the summer, they will consume about half of their body weight in moths, beetles, mosquitoes and flies. The little brown myotis can eat up to 600 mosquitoes per hour!
Their large consumption of bugs allows them to put on body fat to survive the cold months of hibernation. These bats hibernate by themselves or in small groups in B.C. It is important to protect their overwintering and roosting habitats.
Females have one to two offspring once per year, in June or July. The young (called pups) may weigh as much as 30 per cent of the mother’s weight! The pup hangs onto the mother for the first three or four days, even when she is searching for food. They can fly alone in about three weeks.
Bats have good eyesight, but they use echolocation for hunting. This is done by emitting sounds which echo off of prey, allowing bats to locate and grab their dinner in mid-air.
White nose syndrome, loss of habitat and disturbance from humans are the greatest threats to the little brown bat. They have adapted to roosting in buildings, as fewer caves and trees are available. Humans sometimes have problems sharing space with bats, and this can lead to the use of poisons or disturbance of bats during their winter hibernation. However, the good news is that many people are looking into protecting the little brown bat including the Wahnapitae First Nation and Atikamekshing Anishnawbek First Nations.
Their large consumption of bugs allows them to put on body fat to survive the cold months of hibernation. These bats hibernate by themselves or in small groups in B.C. It is important to protect their overwintering and roosting habitats.
Females have one to two offspring once per year, in June or July. The young (called pups) may weigh as much as 30 per cent of the mother’s weight! The pup hangs onto the mother for the first three or four days, even when she is searching for food. They can fly alone in about three weeks.
Bats have good eyesight, but they use echolocation for hunting. This is done by emitting sounds which echo off of prey, allowing bats to locate and grab their dinner in mid-air.
White nose syndrome, loss of habitat and disturbance from humans are the greatest threats to the little brown bat. They have adapted to roosting in buildings, as fewer caves and trees are available. Humans sometimes have problems sharing space with bats, and this can lead to the use of poisons or disturbance of bats during their winter hibernation. However, the good news is that many people are looking into protecting the little brown bat including the Wahnapitae First Nation and Atikamekshing Anishnawbek First Nations.
More Information
If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.
Photo Credit
Canva
