Silver-haired Bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
Summary 2
The silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) is a solitary migratory species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae and the only member of the genus Lasionycteris.
Conservation status 3
Silver-haired bats have no special endangered or threatened status; however, activities such as logging and deforestation may pose a threat for the bat in the future.
Temperate North American bats are now threatened by a fungal disease called “white-nose syndrome.” This disease has devastated eastern North American bat populations at hibernation sites since 2007. The fungus, Geomyces destructans, grows best in cold, humid conditions that are typical of many bat hibernacula. The fungus grows on, and in some cases invades, the bodies of hibernating bats and seems to result in disturbance from hibernation, causing a debilitating loss of important metabolic resources and mass deaths. Mortality rates at some hibernation sites have been as high as 90%. While there are currently no reports of Lasionycteris noctivagans mortalities as a result of white-nose syndrome, the disease continues to expand its range in North America.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Description 4
Somewhat resembling the larger hoary bat, the silver-haired bat has frosted tips on the black or dark-brown fur of its back. Silver-haired bats occur in both grassland and forest, and are abundant in old-growth forest. They feed on small flying insects, especially moths, using echolocation to navigate and hunt. They start foraging after sunset, finding their prey at treetop level or over streams and ponds. Seasonal changes in the numbers of bats have been observed: more individuals are seen farther north in the summer and farther south in winter, suggesting that the species is probably migratory. However, these bats can enter torpor for energy conservation, and some individuals may not migrate.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
Distribution 5
Silver-haired bats are found throughout the United States (with Florida as a possible exception), northward into southern Canada up to the treeline, and reach their northern limits in Alaska . The range may also include extreme northeastern Mexico (due to similar habitat conditions), although there have been no confirmed sightings of the bat.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Food habits 6
Silver-haired bats are insectivorous. Their diet is mostly made up of diptera, coleoptera, and lepidoptera. However, these bats take the opportunity to feed on any concentration of insects they come across. They have a short-range feeding strategy, traveling over woodland ponds and streams. Silver-haired bats do not always feed in mid-flight; they have been caught in mouse traps, suggesting that they look for food on the ground, and they have been reported to eat insect larvae on trees.
Animal Foods: insects
Geographic range 7
Silver-haired bats are found throughout the United States (with Florida as a possible exception), northward into southern Canada up to the treeline, and reach their northern limits in Alaska. The range may also include extreme northeastern Mexico (due to similar habitat conditions), although they have not been seen there.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Sources and Credits
- (c) adamdv18, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
- Adapted by rkkessler from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasionycteris_noctivagans
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31400851
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6624941
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31400840
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25065240
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25065234
