Biology of an Evening Bat: Appearance, Biology, Life Cycle, Habitat, Diet, Behavior

The evening bat belongs to the vesper family and is known to be native to North America but can also be found in Mexico. Generally, this bat is small in size with an adult ranging between 33mm-44mm and weighing anywhere between 7-15 grams. It has a dark brown color except for its ears which are black. This bat has a non-keeled calcar and is also known to have a hairless tail, snout, and wing membranes. It is important to note that an adult evening bat’s wingspan is between 260mm-280mm with an ear height of 11mm-50mm.The one thing that distinguishes it from the other close resembling bats like myotics is its curved trangus.

The evening bat colonies are relatively small compared to the other species, but these can go up to 1000 individuals. In most cases, these bats mate in the summer and late fall with one male being able to mate with 20 females. After the mating season is over, the males separate from the females. While it’s common for the females to give birth to twins, rarely a female bat gives birth to triplets and raises them to maturity. In most cases, the average pup of an evening bat will weigh 2g, which is almost 50% of the mother’s postpartum mass. These young ones start to squeak immediately when they are born and open their eyes 1 or 2 days after they are born. However, they will take the next 6-9 weeks being weaned to maturity.

The evening bats breed once within a period of 12 months and can live up to a period of five years, which is comparatively long. These nocturnal bats have a slow but steady flight speed and they roost in colonies of an average of 30 animals. Additionally, they are social, migratory and are known to use scent and sound for communication, especially between the mothers and pups. The evening bats are primarily insectivorous and like to feed on beetles, leafhoppers, flies, and moths. Nevertheless, they easily fall prey to a number of predators and these include snakes, owls, hawks, and raccoons.

The evening bats are known to have high mortality rates, with some areas reporting 90% of the newly born surviving the predators. They are known to roost in attics and old buildings and they can prove to be a nuisance to humans if they reside in residential areas of commercial buildings. As such, the evening bat stands as one of the most unique species in regard to the rare characteristics it depicts.

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