 |
 |
By Deshonique Miller
Geographic Range
The Pallid bat ranges from western Canada to central Mexico
Habitat
The pallid bat is usually found in rocky, montainous areas and near water. They are also found over more open, sparsely vegetated grasslands, and they seem to prefer to forage in the open. The pallid bat has three different roosts. The day roost is usually in a warm, horizontal openning such as in attics or rock cracks; the night roost is usually in the open, near foliage; and the hibernation roost, which is often in buildings, caves, or cracks in rocks.
Terrestrial Biomes:
desert or dune 
; savanna or grassland ; chaparral .
Aquatic Biomes:
lakes and ponds.
Physical Description
(0.49 to 0.92 oz; avg. 0.74 oz)
The pallid bat has large eyes compared to many other North american bats, and its ears are pale and wide. Its fur varies from a pale cream color to light brown dorsally and is white on the venter. The skull is large and the teeth are heavy and robust. The snout of the pallid bat is square and has a ridge on the top2. The bat has a total length of 92 - 135 mm, a wing spand of 13 -15 inches and a forearm length of 1.9 to 2.3 inches.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Pallid bats become sexually mature at about two years of age. Mating begins in October and goes through February. The female stores the sperm until sometime during the first two weeks in April, when ovulation and fertilization take place. The female bat usually gives brith to twins. Birth takes place during the first half of June. The foetuses weighs 3 to 3.5 grams at birth, and their eyes are closed. In four to five weeks young bats are capable of short flights, and by eight weeks they attain full adult size.
Key reproductive features:
seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; sperm-storing .
Behavior
In the summer, bachelor and nursery colonies are separate. Female bats roost with their young, males remain separate until the newborn bats are weaned. Communication between colony members is largely by a number of vocalizations. These calls are used for territorial disputes. Pallid bats also emit a skunk-like odor that may be used as a defense mechanisms.
Pallid bats leave the day roost about a hour after sunset to forage.
Key behaviors:
motile .
Food Habits
The Pallid bat can consume up to half its weight in insects every night. It rarely catches flying insects; instead, they usually capture their prey on foliage or the ground. In addition to using its echolocation, the pallid bat listens for sounds made by the prey, and it also has decent visual abilites. After catching prey, the bats return to their night roost, which is usually in an open area, to eat their catch. They feed insects such as the ten-lined beetle and also on crickets and scorpions.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Pallid bats may not be welcome visitors when they roost in a human home. They are noisy, their droppings can stain ceilings and cause odor. Pallid bats, like other bats, can transmit rabies, although this is rare.
Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans:
injures humans (carries human disease).
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Pallid bats plays an important role in controlling populations of insect pests. Also, the bat's guano, or droppings, can be used as fertilizer.
Conservation Status
The pallid bat may be in trouble because, like many other bats, it is very sensitive to disturbance. Any disturbance, even hiking, can cause the bat to abandon a roosting area completely. Human disturbance of foraging areas has also decreased prey availablity and diversity. Also, the use of pesticides has had a serious impact on pallid bat populations.
Contributors
Deshonique Miller (author), University of Michigan.
