 Bats
of Indiana
Eastern Small-footed
Bat
Eastern Small-footed bat hanging on a branch near
a cave
(drawing by CES Media Club)
| Scientific
Name: Myotis
leibii Description:
This
is a very small bat. It is only 2 7/8 to
3 inches long. It has brown-black fur. It
got its name because of its small feet
and short arms.
Population:
The actual
number of the Eastern Small-footed bat is
unknown. It is not
common in most of its range.
Food: Their food
is mostly small insects like flies,
mosquitoes, moths, and beetles. They also
eat ants. They use echolocation
(high-pitched sounds) to locate the
insects they eat.
Range:
Their
distribution is eastern Canada and the
New England states of United States on
down to the northern parts of Alabama and
Georgia and some as far west as Oklahoma.
Reproduction:
These
bats usually only have one young at a
time in mid-May to mid July. These bats
have been known to live twelve years.
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The Eastern
Small-footed bat hibernates late in the fall.
They hibernate in the entrances of caves and
mines. This
is the colder parts of caves, which means it can
take the cold well.
They roost in old
buildings or caves. They go find food (forage)
just after sunset. They fly around quickly and
usually eat their
fill within an hour. They eat small insects like
mosquitoes, flies,
beetles, moths,
A small-footed bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
An Eastern Small-footed bat
using echolocation to find his prey
(drawing by CES Media Club)
Like all hibernating bats, if they are disturbed
during
hibernation, they will burn their energy and
because there
are no insects in the winter they will starve.
That is why it is important that they are
protected.
An Eastern Small-footed bat
flying at night to find prey
(drawing by CES Media Club)
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References/Resources
Drawings
of Eastern Small-footed bat by
Cannelton Elementary Media Club
Photograph of Eastern Small-footed bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
All other photographs belong to
CES Media Club
BOOKS:
Bats
of the United States
by
Michael J. Harvey, J. Scott Altenbach,
and Troy L. Best, Arkansas Game
& Fish Commision and the U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, copyright 1999
Those
Amazing Bats by
Cheryl Mays Halton
Dillon Press, New York copyright 1991
WEBSITES:
Kentucky
Bat Working Group
http://www.biology.eku.edu/bats.htm
Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org
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Comments? Questions?
You can e-mail us at:
jgoble@cannelton.k12.in.us
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