Northern Long-Eared Bat
(𝑴𝒚𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔)
Status: Threatened
&
Little Brown Bat
(𝑴𝒚𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔)
Status: Species of Special Concern
Photo Credit: Northern long-eared bat/Al Hicks/NYDEC https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/5881232758/in/album-72157626943360067/
Photo Credit: Little brown bat/Kevin Matteson/Flickr
Facts: Have you ever looked up as the sun was setting and wondered what flying animals were zooming above your head? Those creatures were bats! Being nocturnal, or active at night, bats wait until the sun goes down to come out and feed off of small insects including moths, flies and beetles. Bats are spread throughout most of the United States and here in Maine you might find the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) or the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). Both of these species are currently being affected by White Nose Syndrome. This fungus attacks the bare skin of the bat and changes their behaviors, sometimes making them become more active in the day and during winter, when they would normally be hibernating. Since its first sighting in 2006, millions of bats have died with the northern long eared bat being hit the hardest.
Here is what you can do to help: Build or buy a home for bats to put in your backyard. Visit here for instructions on building your own bat house: https://www.batcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/4-Chamber-Nursery-House-Plans.pdf
You can count the bats that use it! Many states keep track of the numbers. In 2016 the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife asked citizens to report bat sightings through an online survey in the Maine Bat Colony Identification Program, providing State biologists with a broader picture of the population in Maine.
Sources: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/nleb/nlebfactsheet.html, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_lucifugus/, https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/static-page/what-is-white-nose-syndrome, https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/are-bats-blind?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products