141 - Big Brown Bat

WA East Sunshinegeo GC9GM3D

Claimed by Msb2017 4 years 7 months ago (1h 13m 17s since publication) · visibility Watch (1)

S Thierman Rd, Spokane, WA, US

Physical description The big brown bat is one of the largest bat species in Washington and features a heavy body, large head, and broad nose. The fur varies from pale to dark brown, is darker above and lighter below, and has an oily texture. Individual hairs on the back are relatively long and extend one-quarter of the way down the upper surface of the tail membrane. Wing membranes and ears are black. Ears are relatively rounded and short, and barely reach the nose when pressed forward.

Food habits and foraging The large, powerful jaw musculature and heavy teeth of big brown bats allow them to feed on hard-bodied insects as well as other prey. Beetles typically form the bulk of their diet, while moths, termites, true bugs, leafhoppers, flies, and flying ants are other main foods. Other regional studies have found preferences for caddisflies, bees, and ants.

Reproduction Pregnancy lasts about 60 days. Births occur from May to August. Litter size is usually one pup in Western North America.

Roosting Summer day roosts of this species, including maternity colonies, occur in a variety of settings, including buildings (e.g., inside attics and walls), trees, snags, caves, mines, crevices in cliffs, and bridges. Reproductive females are colonial and occupy sites offering suitable temperature gradients. Maternity roosts are often in older buildings having appropriate entry points or in large live or dead trees in intermediate stages of decay. Occupation of trees and snags depends on the presence of cavities, hollow trunks, crevices, loose exfoliating bark, and dead or broken tops; cavity volume; openness from surrounding vegetation; and older age of the forest stand. Ponderosa pine, aspen, and Douglas-fir are among the main tree species used for roosting.

Maternity roosts in the West usually contain anywhere from about a dozen to several hundred individuals, but in other regions, females sometimes roost in smaller groups or alone. Buildings offer greater safety from predators and warm microclimates, resulting in earlier births, faster juvenile growth, and increased energy savings, and therefore are probably preferred as roosts over some types of natural sites. Most adult females return to the same maternity roost or roost area in successive years.

Hibernation Hibernacula (place where an animal spends their winter) include buildings, caves, mines, and rock crevices but the extent that other natural sites (e.g., hollow trees) are used is poorly known. Hibernacula generally have air temperatures of 0-18°C (32-64°F). Some winter sites also function as maternity roosts in summer.

Swarming behavior occurs at mines and caves before hibernation. Hibernation lasts from November to April. Hibernacula rarely hold more than a few hundred individuals with those present usually roosting alone or in small clusters of fewer than 20 animals. Both sexes hibernate together. Individuals may lose 25% of their pre-hibernation body weight over winter, thus failure to accumulate sufficient fat reserves can be a major mortality factor, particularly for juveniles. Movement among hibernacula is common within a winter.

Hint: Bark 1.5/2

Notes

Msb2017 Player local_offer17	check_circle 4 years 7 months ago About 7 minutes after this posted, mid-dinner and mid bite, we checked the page and saw this tag posted. We instantly jumped in the car with Geopup Dubs in tow and drove all the way from Medical Lake, biting our nails the whole way as the number of people watching climbed higher and higher. We had one car that seemed to follow us all the way up, just to turn off about 100 yards from GZ but we felt quite competitive with them thinking I was another cacher! Once on site in the darkness, we searched and scrutinized the hint provided. Were we overthinking it? Was the hint more abstract? The picture was pretty broad... FINALLY, after 10 minutes of searching in the sticks, leaves, and trees, we laid hands on this bat and snagged the tag! Bonus was a fantastic view of the city lights up here! ❤
cron Operations local_offer0	publish 4 years 7 months ago Published.