Indiana bat

Indiana bat
The image depicts a small bat hanging upside down.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Myotis
Species:
M. sodalis
Binomial name
Myotis sodalis
Miller & Allen, 1928
Approximate range of the Indiana bat

The Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g (0.16–0.34 oz). It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.

Indiana bats live in hardwood and hardwood-pine forests. It is common in old-growth forest and in agricultural land, mainly in forest, crop fields, and grasslands. As an insectivore, the bat eats both terrestrial and aquatic flying insects, such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and midges.

The Indiana bat is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[2][3] It has had serious population decline, estimated to be more than 50% over the past 10 years, based on direct observation and a decline on its extent of occurrence.[1]

  1. ^ a b Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Ospina-Garces, S. (2016). "Myotis sodalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T14136A22053184. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T14136A22053184.en.
  2. ^ a b "Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b 32 FR 4001