Thread by @WCS_Canada

We tend to talk about bats as if they were all identical in appearance, habitat, and habits. But that’s far from the truth.

@Cori_Lausen, @wcscanadabats director, talks about 4⃣ Western Canadian #bats in @ecofriendlywest: tinyurl.com/4prrnkk2 🧵

1⃣. Spotted Bats have black fur with 3 large white spots on their rump and shoulders as well as smaller white patches at the base of their pink ears, which are as long as their body. They are found in dry desert regions of the southern #Okanagan and are extremely rare. (cont'd)

Unlike many other bats, the Spotted Bats’ echolocation sounds can be picked up by the human ear as they are typically producing sounds as low as 7-12 kilohertz that sound like a series of clicks.

2⃣. Californian Myotis are small and dark. They spend most of their time in forested areas in southern BC as well as along the north coast. They fly slowly, but their small size helps them to maneuvre easily around trunks and branches. (cont'd)

They emit a high-frequency sound that only travels a few metres, but that’s the area in which the bats are hunting. The high-frequency sounds come back with lots of information when they bounce off nearby objects enabling them to pick up on tiny gnats.
🎧 collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6w…

3⃣. Hoary Bats are one of Canada’s largest species with a wingspan of nearly 40 cm. They have long grey and brown fur tipped with white on their back. There are small patches of yellow fur around the face and wrists as well as on the shoulders and under the wings. (cont'd)

Nothing is known about their winter habitat, but they are thought to travel 100s or 1000s of kilometres south.

Their mottled colouring blends in well with lichen-covered bark. Unlike most other bats Hoary Bats just hang on the among the leaves outside of trees during the day.

4⃣. Pallid Bats are almost as large as the Hoary Bat and have very large ears & eyes. They have pale yellow fur on their back & white on their underside. Unlike many bats, they catch lots of their food hovering just a few feet above ground, listening for the scree of a beetle.

Once they’ve located their prey, they either land on top of it, covering it with its wings so it can’t escape, or chase it, using their long thumbs and feet to run along the ground.

🦂 They trap and eat scorpions, and are somehow resistant to the sting.

Want to learn more about bats from @Cori_Lausen?

🦇 Check out her book: amzn.to/3y6RuHh
🦇 Read the rest of the article in @ecofriendlywest: tinyurl.com/4prrnkk2