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Pups are born in the summer, [12] usually sometime between May and July. [14] Unlike other bats species who usually produce one pup, eastern red bats have on average three pups at a time, and some eastern red bats have given birth to as many as five pups. [15] Females have four nipples, which allows them to nourish multiple offspring at once.
Townsend's big-eared bats exiting a maternity colony in a mine. A maternity colony refers to a temporary association of reproductive female bats for giving birth to, nursing, and weaning their pups. The colonies are initiated by pregnant bats. After giving birth, the colony consists of the lactating females and their offspring.
To compensate for larger litters, desert red bats have four nipples rather than two. The bats mate during August and September. Pups are born about 90 days after mating. Before the bats are able to fly, the mother carries up to four pups at a time. It takes up to six weeks for the bats to fly by themselves and one to three years to mature. [8]
In Texas alone, the bats save cotton farmers $740,000 in potential damage in a year. Some tropical bats eat fruit and are critical for dropping seeds to restore cleared or damaged forests.
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A 2011 study of a population in Colorado found that their average life expectancy was a little over 6.5 years; [43] according to a 2008 report, some banded big brown bats have lived up to 20 years, although some experts have hypothesized that the bats might be "capable of living much longer." [44] In general, males live longer than females. [29]
A maternity colony may range in size from 12 bats to 200, although in the eastern United States, colonies of 1,000 or more have been formed. [2] During the winter, these bats hibernate, often when temperatures are around 32 to 53 °F (around 0 °C to 11.5 °C.) Townsend's roost singly during hibernation, forming small clusters only rarely.
Townsend big-eared bats like the one featured in the contest are known for their ears, as the name aptly suggests. Their ears can stretch up to 1.5 inches–nearly a third of their average full ...