little brown bat (Mammals of Chiricahua NM)

little brown bat

Myotis lucifugus

Summary ³

The little brown bat (sometimes called little brown myotis) (Myotis lucifugus) is a species of the genus Myotis (mouse-eared bats), one of the most common bats of North America. The little brown bat has been a model organism for studying bats.

Description ⁴

"Echolocation of little brown bats has been well studied since the invention of bat detectors, electronic devices that can ""hear"" the ultrasonic calls bats make, which are usually beyond the range of human hearing. Little brown bats typically produce calls lasting about 4 milliseconds. While cruising, they emit echolocation calls about 20 times per second, spacing the pulses at 50 millisecond intervals. When attacking airborne prey, the pulse rates rise drastically, to 200 per second, with only 5 millisecond gaps between calls. The information the bats receive through echolocation allows them to orient themselves, and to locate, track, and evaluate their insect prey. Little brown bats feed near or over water, mainly on aquatic insects such as caddis flies, mayflies, and midges, and typically consume half their body weight in insects each night. Nursing females may eat up to 110 percent of their body weight each night."

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account

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