Little Brown Bat 

(Myotis Lucifugus)

PHOTOS BY MERLIN TUTTLE

Fur is glossy and varies in color from dark brown, golden brown, and reddish. 
Primary Prey:
• Feed on insects that range from 3 to 10 mm in length.
• Typically eat half of their body weight per night, while lactating females will eat approximately 110 percent
of their body weight per night. 
• Opportunistic feeder, catching prey by aerial hawking and gleaning tactics.
• Feed largely on aquatic insects, midges being the primary food source.
• Rate of call production while chasing prey is 200 calls per second. 
Predators: Domestic cats, martens, fishers, mice, owls, hawks, snakes, raccoons, and other small carnivores.
Range: 
Status:
Behavior:
• Clutter specialist.
• Emerge from roosts at dusk.
• Typically enter daily torpor. 
• Enters hibernation during winter months. Time of hibernation varies by location and altitude, but typically
begins hibernation between September and November and ends in March to May.
• Vary body temperature greatly; can be cooled to 33 degrees Fahrenheit and heated to temperatures of 129
degrees Fahrenheit.
• Large colonies of as many as 300,000 bats have been reported in a single roost. 
• Fly at speeds as high as 21 mph, but average speed is about 12 mph. 
Weight:  5-14 g 
Body Length: 60-102 mm 
Wing span: 222-269 mm
Offspring: Females will care for 1 pup throughout the season
Gestation Period: 50 to 60 days, Avg. time to independence: 4 weeks, Sexual Maturity: 210 days
Lifespan: Approximately 6 to 7 years and often live well beyond 10 years; a 31 year-old male was discovered in southeastern Ontario.