Bats of the United States and Canada

Spotted Bat, Euderma maculatum

144 bats of the united states and canada SPOTTED BAT Euderma maculatum Special Concern–United States and Canada Weight is 16–20 grams (0.6–0.7 ounce); wingspan is 34–36 centimeters (13–14 inches); distribution is from south-central British Columbia to southern Mexico. This spectacularly colored bat is white underneath and has black fur on its back with three large white spots. The spotted bat occurs in a wide range of habitats in the western regions of the continent, most often in rough, rocky, semiarid, or arid terrain, varying from ponderosa pine forest to scrub country and open desert. The day roosts often are situated on high cliffs. These bats crawl with ease on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, which facilitates their movement in rock crevices where they roost. Spotted bats emerge about an hour after dark and return to the day roost about an hour before sunrise. They fly high, usually 10–15 meters (30–50 feet), at or above treetop height, and have a loud high-pitched echolocation call that is clearly audible to the human observer at distances of about 250 meters (800 feet) or more. Spotted bats may use a foraging strategy that involves hunting a regular circuit and searching clearings in pine forests for prey. These bats display a remarkable punctuality in making their rounds, arriving at various points along their route at the same time every night. In spring, they spend 3–5 minutes at each clearing; more time is spent around the same area in summer. Diet consists primarily of moths. One baby is born in June. When born, babies lack the color pattern of adults; they weigh about 4 grams (0.1 ounce). One of the rarest bats in North America, it has been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered. recto runninghead 145 ...