Desert red bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Desert red bat |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Lasiurus
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| Species: |
blossevillii
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The desert red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii) is a small, furry creature. It is also known as the western red bat or southern red bat. This amazing animal is a type of microbat, which means it's a very small bat. You can find these bats all over the Americas, from Canada down to South America. Like most bats in its group, the desert red bat usually lives alone. It likes to hang out in tree leaves.
Where Do Desert Red Bats Live?
The desert red bat lives in many places across North, Central, and South America. You can find them from southern Canada, through the western United States, and all the way down to northern South America. They have been seen in countries like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.
These bats are like many birds; they are migratory. This means they travel long distances. In the winter, they fly to warmer southern parts of the Americas. When summer comes, they fly back north.
Even though its name has "desert" in it, the desert red bat does not live in deserts. Instead, they prefer forests. They often hide under leaves, especially during winter. Their reddish fur helps them blend in perfectly with dead leaves. This is a great way to camouflage themselves from predators. Female bats often go to warmer places in June.
What Do Desert Red Bats Eat?
The desert red bat is an insectivore. This means it loves to eat insects! Their diet includes moths, flies, true bugs, beetles, and cicadas.
These bats are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. They hunt for their food in the dark. To find insects, they use something called animal echolocation. This is like a natural sonar system. They send out sounds and listen for the echoes that bounce back from objects. This helps them create a map of their surroundings and find their prey.
While hunting, desert red bats need to be careful. They can become food for other animals. Their predators include owls, blue jays, raccoons, and opossums.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Desert red bats have a special way of having babies. Most bats usually have only one baby at a time. But the desert red bat can give birth to as many as four pups! To feed all these babies, the mother bat has four nipples instead of the usual two.
These bats usually mate in August and September. About 90 days later, the baby bats, called pups, are born. Before the pups can fly, their mother carries them around. She can carry up to four pups at once! It takes about six weeks for the young bats to learn to fly on their own. They become fully grown adults when they are one to three years old.
