Going batty! Discover 5 Canadian bats
Dracula has been giving bats a bad rep and they are often misunderstood creatures. Did you know only 0.3% of bats actually drink blood? Many eat only fruit or pollen, and others are the ultimate bug zappers, ridding you of those pesky mosquitoes by the thousands!
If you thought bats were scary, think again! Many are actually quite cute. Between being a flying mammal and using echolocation, bats are certainly interesting creatures.
In Canada, there are 17 bat species found across the country. Below are a few of the common species you might find living near you.
Northern Myotis |
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| Scientific name: | Myotis septentrionalis | |
| Canadian Range: | BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, NT, YT | |
| COSEWIC status: | Endangered | |
| SARA status: | Endangered | |
| Description: | weight 4.3-10.8 g; length about 7.8 cm; wingspan 23-26 cm A small brown bat with a long, slender and pointed tragus, and ears that extend past the nose when pressed forward. |
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Little Brown Myotis |
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| Scientific name: | Myotis lucifugus | |
| Canadian Range: | BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, NT, YT | |
| COSEWIC status: | Endangered | |
| SARA status: | Endangered | |
| Description: | weight 5.5-11.0 g; length 6-10.2 cm; wingspan 22-27 cm A small brown bat with a short blunt tragus. |
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Hoary Bat |
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| Scientific name: | Lasiurus cinereus | |
| Canadian Range: | BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, NL, NT | |
| COSEWIC status: | no status | |
| SARA status: | no status | |
| Description: | weight 20-30 g; length 13-15 cm; wingspan about 43 cm A bat with white-tinged grey-brown fur, giving it a frosty appearance. Its ears are short, broad, and rounded, and it has a blunt, rounded nose. |
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Red Bat |
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| Scientific name: | Lasiurus borealis | |
| Canadian Range: | MB, SK, ON, QC, NB, NS, PEI | |
| COSEWIC status: | no status | |
| SARA status: | no status | |
| Description: | weight 7-13 g; length 9.3-11.7 cm A medium-sized bat with red fur that is white tipped. |
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Big Brown Bat |
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| Scientific name: | Eptesicus fuscus | |
| Canadian Range: | BC, AB, MB, SK, ON, QC, NB | |
| COSEWIC status: | no status | |
| SARA status: | no status | |
| Description: | weight around 23 g; length 11-13 cm; wingspan about 33 cm A brown bat with a lighter underside. Its ears are rounded with a broad, rounded tragus, and it has a broad nose. |
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More Canadian bats and where to find them
| BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PE | NL | NT | YT | NU | |
| Northern Myotis | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Little Brown Myotis | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Eastern Small-footed Myotis | x | x | |||||||||||
| Red Bat | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||
| Hoary Bat | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Silver-haired Bat | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| Big Brown Bat | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||
| Tri-coloured Bat | x | x | x | x | |||||||||
| California Myotis | x | ||||||||||||
| Fringed Bat | x | ||||||||||||
| Keen’s Long-eared Bat | x | ||||||||||||
| Long-eared Myotis | x | x | x | ||||||||||
| Long-legged Myotis | x | x | |||||||||||
| Townsend’s Big-eared Bat | x | ||||||||||||
| Western Small-footed Myotis | x | x | x | ||||||||||
| Yuma Myotis | x | ||||||||||||
| Spotted Bat | x | ||||||||||||
| Pallid Bat | x |
SARA status : Endangered; Threatened; Special Concern
Eager to spot the bats living in your neighbourhood? Don’t forget you can rent a bat detector through Nature Canada! To do so, please contact our NatureHood Program Manager at [email protected].
Acknowledgements: COSEWIC, IUCN Red List, and Animal Diversity Web
