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Townsend’s Big-eared Bat

Corynorhinus townsendii

Background

Townsend’s big-eared bats are a charismatic species with marvelouslylarge ears and prominent, bilateral nose lumps. Two subspecies are listed as endangered in the United States - the Virginia big-eared bat and the Ozark big-eared bat, which inhabit the central Appalachian and Ozark regions of the U.S.

J. Scott Altenbach
J. Scott Altenbach

Current Threats

  • Ecosystem conversion and degradation
  • Disturbance/destruction of roost sites (e.g., recreational caving, mining)

 

How You Can Help

  • Do not disturb roosting bats
  • Plant native flowers to attract insects• Spread the word about bats and Bat Week!

 

townsend-map

Fun Facts

These bats are also known as “ram-eared bats” because when they are sleeping, the ears are often rolled down and back across the head, mimicking ram horns.

These insectivorous bats use “stealth echolocation” to outsmart their prey’s defenses, like sonar jamming and evasive maneuvers. Their low-intensity echolocation calls allow them to detect prey before prey detect them!

Faces of Bat Week

Townsend's big-eared bat

Townsend's big-eared bats are a charismatic species with marvelously large ears and prominent, bilateral nose lumps.

Florida bonneted bat

The Florida bonneted bat is found nowhere in the world but South Florida.

Indiana bat

Indiana bats are a small insect-eating bats that live in North America.

Northern long-eared bat

The northern long-eared bat is a species of bat native to North America. There are no recognized subspecies.

Mexican long-nosed bat

The Mexican long-nosed bat is federally endangered and relies on nectar from agave to make long migrations through Mexico and the southwest United States.