Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) lives in eastern forests across Southeastern North America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat
- The species has ears over an inch long and adults' ears are about 3 cm long, with a long, pointed tragus roughly two-thirds the ear length. Their large ears enable passive listening for moths that sit still, a skill that helps them capture 90% of their diet from the air or foliage. This ear size makes them acoustic specialists, turning quiet rustles into meals and showing how morphology drives foraging success.
- One study reported average diameter at breast height of tree roosts to be 79 cm with a height of 18.5 m. These massive snags provide stable temperatures of 10-15 °C year-round, a range the bats need for day, maternity, and hibernation roosts. By nesting in such large trees, they stay within 2.5 km.
- They can live a decade despite the fungus that wipes out many eastern bats. The longest recorded lifespan was a female captured in West Virginia that was ten years and one month old. Unlike other species, they seem untouched by white-nose syndrome, likely because they hibernate in shallow, cooler sites and arouse frequently, preventing the fungus from thriving. Their resilience highlights how roost choice can buffer disease impacts.
- Moths dominate their menu. Studies have shown that more than 80% of the diet consists of lepidopteran species, with the average wingspan of lepidopteran prey between 47 and 70 mm. Because the bats' wingspan is only 25-30 cm.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSoutheastern North America
HabitatEastern forests
DietInsects and moths
About the Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat
As the last wisps of daylight surrender to the velvety darkness, Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat stirs, its oversized ears twitching like satellite dishes, tuning into the faintest whispers of the night. With an ethereal flutter, it takes to the skies, navigating the moonlit landscape with the precision of a phantom, its leathery wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm as it hunts for insects in the dense, humid forests it calls home. In this mystical realm, the big-eared bat reigns supreme, a master of the shadows, its very existence a testament to the wonders that still linger in the most hidden corners of our world.
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