Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus).
Image Copyright (c) Merlin D. Tuttle
Description: Body length about 3.6 to 5.3″, with a 15-16″ wingspan. Beige fur above, almost white below. Broad wings. Has very big pale ears and good vision. Musk gland.
Range: Across much of west North American from British Colombia to west Texas, Baja and Central Mexico.
Habitat: Grasslands and deserts. Roosts in rock crevices, caves, mine shafts, under bridges, in buildings and tree hollows. Some hibernate; many remain active all year in low to mid-elevations.
Diet: Crickets, scorpions, beetles, grasshoppers, various other insects. Feed primarily on the ground as well as gleaning from leaves. With its large ears, it can hear the footsteps of insects on the ground, and then swoops down to grab them. Immune to scorpion venom.
Behavior: Emerges about an hour after sunset. Eat, then go to night roosts to digest food, then will hunt again before dawn. Roosts in small colonies of about 12 to 100 bats. Forms nursery colonies, bears one or two pups each year, which nurse 6-8 weeks. Able to fly at about 6 weeks. Lifespan in wild unknown, have lived 9 years in captivity.
Risks: Maternal colonies and hibernating bats sensitive to disturbance. Loss or modification of foraging habitat, esp. urban development. Species of Special Concern in California
