Fact Sheet
Bats
What Defenders Is Doing to Help Bats
Because bats play such an important role in healthy ecosystems, Defenders of Wildlife is working in support of policies and management that address major threats to these amazing animals.
Habitat Loss and Damaging Development
Working together with our allies in the conservation community, Defenders is fighting to protect the habitat that bats need to survive and to promote a healthy and sustainable environment.
More on Bats: What You Can Do to Help Bats »
Fast Facts
Size: Bats are divided into two suborders: Megachiroptera, meaning large bat, and Microchiroptera, meaning small bat. The largest bats have a 6 foot wingspan. The bodies of the smallest bats are no more than an inch long.
Lifespan: Most bats live longer than most mammals of their size. The longest known lifespan of a bat in the wild is 30 years for a little brown bat.
Sound Clip
Range Map
Click to enlarge » Protection Status
Endangered Species Act:
Endangered
CITES:
Appendix I
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In the Magazine
The Virginia big-eared bat will devour half its weight in bugs every night during warm weather months. Come winter hibernation, though, the bat could be in for a chilling reality.
In the Magazine
In the race to save bats affected by the deadly white-nose syndrome, scientists from Michigan Technological University are using chemical “fingerprinting” to identify where bats hung out the previous summer.
In the Magazine
Fresh snow covered the ground on a cold day last March as Marvin Moriarty trudged up the short, steep hill to the entrance of the Greeley Mine in Stockbridge, Vermont, to see first-hand the effects of white-nose syndrome in bats.
Animals & Habitats
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On the Blog
May 29, 2012 | 3.59 PM
March 12, 2012 | 12.42 PM
February 22, 2012 | 10.37 AM