Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They contribute to overall ecosystem health by suppressing pest insects and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Eight North American bat species are listed as federally endangered or threatened, and more than one-half are of current conservation concern in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
We conduct scientific research on bats that helps resource managers and policymakers make informed decisions regarding the conservation of bats across North America. USGS science also helps inform decision making with respect to white-nose syndrome (WNS) surveillance and bat vulnerability; mitigation of potential impacts of energy development on bats; prelisting conservation efforts for regulatory agencies; and land management practices.
NABat
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) website is a comprehensive resource for bat research.
Science in Support of NABat
ln addition to our bat research, we lead, manage, and coordinate the multinational NABat.
About Bats
Bats remarkably similar to the ones we have today first appeared on Earth more than 50 million years ago. No other mammal has ever achieved the ability to sustain flight.
There are more than 1,300 species of bats, some the size of a human thumb and others with a six-foot wingspan. Most bats eat insects, many eat fruit and nectar from plants, some eat rodents, and yes, some consume blood. All are primarily active at night. Many species of bats rely on echolocation (locating objects by reflected sound) and incredible dim-light vision to navigate through the night and in the caves and tree-roosting sites they inhabit.
“Many people think bats are blind, but they actually have really sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black,” said Paul Cryan, a bat ecologist with the USGS. “They don’t have the sharp and colorful vision we do, but they don’t need that. Think a dark-adapted Mr. Magoo.”
During winter, many species of bats hibernate in cool and moist caves or mines. Hibernation is an adaptation for bat survival during cold winter months, when there are no insects available for bats to eat. Bats must store energy in the form of fat prior to hibernation. One of the consequences of WNS is that the hibernation of many afflicted bats is interrupted, often causing them to depart their winter roost early and eventually starve to death.
Bat reproduction begins with mating in the fall before hibernation, yet new USGS research revealed that a surprising amount of mating also occurs during winter hibernation. Female bats store sperm throughout the winter and become pregnant in the spring soon after emerging from caves or other winter roosts. In spring, bats migrate to their summer territories, often in wooded locations with lots of trees and vegetation. Females usually roost together in maternity colonies under the peeling bark or in cavities of dead and dying trees, and in other structures in groups of up to 100 or more. Each female in the colony typically gives birth to only one pup per year. Young bats are nursed by the mother, who leaves the roost only to forage for food. While mothers are out foraging, the young bats huddle together in groups that biologists call a cuddle. The young stay with the maternity colony throughout most of their first summer.
Bats remain a frontier of wonder and discovery. Scientists recently discovered that bats are among the longest-lived mammals for their size and may hide biological secrets to longevity. We also now know that bats are more closely related to horses, dogs and cats than to any other mammals.
“These mysterious creatures will undoubtedly continue to benefit us as they fly above our heads in the dark, and science can help us discover and help protect those free and irreplaceable benefits,” Cryan said.
Bat Research
Infection by White-nose Syndrome is likely to Extirpate the Endangered Indiana Bat over major portions of its current range
Bats in Forests Managed for Wildlife
Ecology of Wildlife Disease
Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
External Microbiota of Bats as Potential Bio-control Against Wildlife Diseases
White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
Ecology of Insect-eating Bats
Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines—Investigating the Causes and Consequences
Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers
Surveillance for the Presence of White-Nose Syndrome in the Bat Community at El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
Assessing Impacts to Ecosystems from Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Region
High Elevation Cave Surveys for Bats and White Nose Syndrome
Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They contribute to overall ecosystem health by suppressing pest insects and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Eight North American bat species are listed as federally endangered or threatened, and more than one-half are of current conservation concern in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
We conduct scientific research on bats that helps resource managers and policymakers make informed decisions regarding the conservation of bats across North America. USGS science also helps inform decision making with respect to white-nose syndrome (WNS) surveillance and bat vulnerability; mitigation of potential impacts of energy development on bats; prelisting conservation efforts for regulatory agencies; and land management practices.
NABat
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) website is a comprehensive resource for bat research.
Science in Support of NABat
ln addition to our bat research, we lead, manage, and coordinate the multinational NABat.
About Bats
Bats remarkably similar to the ones we have today first appeared on Earth more than 50 million years ago. No other mammal has ever achieved the ability to sustain flight.
There are more than 1,300 species of bats, some the size of a human thumb and others with a six-foot wingspan. Most bats eat insects, many eat fruit and nectar from plants, some eat rodents, and yes, some consume blood. All are primarily active at night. Many species of bats rely on echolocation (locating objects by reflected sound) and incredible dim-light vision to navigate through the night and in the caves and tree-roosting sites they inhabit.
“Many people think bats are blind, but they actually have really sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black,” said Paul Cryan, a bat ecologist with the USGS. “They don’t have the sharp and colorful vision we do, but they don’t need that. Think a dark-adapted Mr. Magoo.”
During winter, many species of bats hibernate in cool and moist caves or mines. Hibernation is an adaptation for bat survival during cold winter months, when there are no insects available for bats to eat. Bats must store energy in the form of fat prior to hibernation. One of the consequences of WNS is that the hibernation of many afflicted bats is interrupted, often causing them to depart their winter roost early and eventually starve to death.
Bat reproduction begins with mating in the fall before hibernation, yet new USGS research revealed that a surprising amount of mating also occurs during winter hibernation. Female bats store sperm throughout the winter and become pregnant in the spring soon after emerging from caves or other winter roosts. In spring, bats migrate to their summer territories, often in wooded locations with lots of trees and vegetation. Females usually roost together in maternity colonies under the peeling bark or in cavities of dead and dying trees, and in other structures in groups of up to 100 or more. Each female in the colony typically gives birth to only one pup per year. Young bats are nursed by the mother, who leaves the roost only to forage for food. While mothers are out foraging, the young bats huddle together in groups that biologists call a cuddle. The young stay with the maternity colony throughout most of their first summer.
Bats remain a frontier of wonder and discovery. Scientists recently discovered that bats are among the longest-lived mammals for their size and may hide biological secrets to longevity. We also now know that bats are more closely related to horses, dogs and cats than to any other mammals.
“These mysterious creatures will undoubtedly continue to benefit us as they fly above our heads in the dark, and science can help us discover and help protect those free and irreplaceable benefits,” Cryan said.
Bat Research
Infection by White-nose Syndrome is likely to Extirpate the Endangered Indiana Bat over major portions of its current range
Bats in Forests Managed for Wildlife
Ecology of Wildlife Disease
Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
External Microbiota of Bats as Potential Bio-control Against Wildlife Diseases
White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
Ecology of Insect-eating Bats
Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines—Investigating the Causes and Consequences
Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers
Surveillance for the Presence of White-Nose Syndrome in the Bat Community at El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
Assessing Impacts to Ecosystems from Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Region