Counties where the Indiana Bat can be found are in black.re the Bald
Eagle can be found are in black.
Indiana Bat Myotis sodalis
Status: Endangered
Description: The Indiana bat is a small dark gray or grayish brown bat
with a wingspan of nine and one-half to ten and one-half inches.
It is easily confused with the little brown bat. The Indiana bat has a
keeled calcar – a cartilaginous spur of the ankle joint that extends toward
the tail – and toe hairs which are sparse and do not extend beyond the
claws.
Habitat and Habits: During summer,
females form nursery colonies under the bark of living or dead
trees. Nursery colonies are often located in wooded areas along
streams or rivers or in upland forest areas. The females have only
one young during June. The Indiana bat is insectivorous and feeds
on a variety of small insects. During winter, Indiana bats
hibernate in caves and mines. They usually hibernate in large dense
clusters of up to several thousand individuals.
Distribution: The range of the
Indiana bat is the eastern United States and as far west as Iowa,
Kansas and Oklahoma. In Iowa, the Indiana bat has been reported in
15 southern Iowa counties and Dubuque County in northeast Iowa.
Conservation Efforts: The large
wintering sites will continue to be protected. Information about
summer distribution and habitat requirements is being collected.
Reasons For Listing: More than 85
percent of the Indiana bat population hibernates in just seven locations
in Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri. Natural- or human-caused
disturbances to one or more of these sites would cause a significant
reduction in the Indiana bat population. The clearing of forest areas in the summer
range of the species has also reduced suitable maternity areas.
Funding Provided
by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
