Summary ¹

The cave myotis (Myotis velifer) is a species of vesper bat (Vespertilionidae) in Myotis genus.

Description ²

The cave myotis, one of the larger myotis species, has a stubby-nosed appearance. The ears reach only to the end of the short nose when bent forward. Typical of North American bats, cave myotis feed on insects, especially moths and beetles. They breed seasonally, giving birth to a single offspring of about 3 g, or 25 percent or more the weight of the mother. The young are flying and foraging for insects when they are about a month old, but nurse for about six weeks. A nursing bat hangs upside down next to its mother, nestled in her wing, sometimes hanging onto the roost with one foot and its mother with the other; the female has a nipple under each arm, near her armpits.

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

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotis_velifer
2. (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625181

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• AMNH Bats of the World
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet

Range Map

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