Endangered Species
The Virginia Big-eared Bat
Scientific Name: Corynorhinus townsendii virginiaus
Description
Virginia big-eared bats are medium sizedbats which are between three and 4.5 inches long, and weigh between 0.3 and 0.4 ounces. The “big ears” for which they are named are about an inch long.
They are nocturnal insectivores. They eat moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and winged ants. They capture their prey by picking them off leaves or blades of grass or by swooping them out of mid-air. They eat small moths whole, but will pick the wings off bigger ones.
Mating takes place in the fall. Over the winter, groups of bats hibernate together, hanging in clusters off the walls and ceilings of caves called “hibernacula.” In the spring, females congregate in “maternity colonies” where they give birth to a single baby bat, called a “pup” each. Pups are able to fly about three weeks after they’re born.
Habitat
Virginia Big-Eared Bats live in limestone caves and old mines. Unlike many species of bat, they do not migrate. Instead, they spend the winter hibernating in special caves called “hibernacula.” They live in isolated populations in southwestern Virginia, northwestern North Carolina, eastern West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky.
Virginia Big-Eared Bats are found in West Virginia more than in any other state. Caves near Blackwater are the winter hibernacula and day-time roosting area for many VBE Bats. These bats also roost out under rock outcrops in summer. Most of the world's Virginia big-eared bats hibernate in just three caves. One cave in West Virginia harbors over 6350 hibernating the bats, the largest concentration of these bats anywhere in the world.
Threats
One of the biggest and most immediate threats to Virginia big-eared bats is the development of industrial wind turbines along the ridges of the Allegheny Highlands. It has been found that bats often get close to the turbines, whose lights attract insects, and the wind vortex actually causes their lungs to expand and explode. Additionally, the turbines may cause problems with the bats echolocation causing them to fly into the blades.
These bats are also currently threatened by White Nose Syndrome (WNS). Other than white-nose syndrome, Virginia big-eared bats are also threatened by human disturbances in the form of noise, bright lights, and human presence. Such disturbances can interrupt hibernation, sap the bats’ fat stores, or cause female bats to abandon a maternity colony before their pups are grown.
White Nose Syndrome Fact Sheet
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