Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)

A little brown bat and salmon couldn't be more different and yet, they do have something in common. They both return to the places they were born/spawned to reproduce.

Depending on the part of North America, May, June and July are the breeding months for a little brown bat. The females will usually have one pup a year, but sometimes two.

During this time, males and females roost separately. The females can live in massive maternity colonies of up to 1000 bats!

Their babies need warm temperatures and enough food in order to grow and develop quickly. As long as these two needs are met, an infant will reach adult size in only four weeks and it'll have already started to learn how to fly.

Adults are really not that big, with a maximum wingspan of 27 cm (almost 11 inches) and body length of 10 cm (about 4 inches). They're also known as little brown myotis because of their black, mouse-like ears.

They use echolocation to hunt down their prey. They prefer insects that start their life cycle in water, like mosquitoes, which they eat loads of each night during spring and summer.

If you live in North America, this is one of the types of bat you're most likely to meet. Females often form maternity roosts in buildings because they provide the right amount of warmth.

If you're at all worried about a roost in you house, please read the bats and rabies and bat removal pages. People and bats can live close to each other without any problems. Plus they'll probably leave by the beginning of September, if not earlier, as they prepare to migrate.

As autumn sets in, the males rejoin the females and then head south to mate and hibernate. But due to a feature that's unique to bats, the females won't become pregnant until the following spring.

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