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.
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
Data related to USGS bat research is listed below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS bat research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS bat publications is available from the button below.
Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather effects in a temperate coastal environment
Forest management and bats
Experimental challenge of a North American bat species, big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), with SARS-CoV-2
Occupancy and detectability of northern long-eared bats in the Lake States Region
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats
Analysis of genomic sequence data reveals the origin and evolutionary separation of Hawaiian hoary bat populations
Assessing the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 in and via North American bats — Decision framing and rapid risk assessment
Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) behavior at wind turbines on Maui
Clinical presentation and serological responses to natural outbreaks of rabies in a captive colony of common vampire bats
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) acoustic monitoring at Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) installations statewide
News article about USGS bat research are listed below.
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.
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
Data related to USGS bat research is listed below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS bat research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS bat publications is available from the button below.
Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather effects in a temperate coastal environment
Forest management and bats
Experimental challenge of a North American bat species, big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), with SARS-CoV-2
Occupancy and detectability of northern long-eared bats in the Lake States Region
Skin fungal assemblages of bats vary based on susceptibility to white-nose syndrome
Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats
Analysis of genomic sequence data reveals the origin and evolutionary separation of Hawaiian hoary bat populations
Assessing the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 in and via North American bats — Decision framing and rapid risk assessment
Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) behavior at wind turbines on Maui
Clinical presentation and serological responses to natural outbreaks of rabies in a captive colony of common vampire bats
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) acoustic monitoring at Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) installations statewide
News article about USGS bat research are listed below.