Northern yellow bat

species of mammal

The northern yellow bat (Dasypterus intermedius) is a type of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is usually awake throughout the year except during extremely cold winter weather. When it is extremely cold they will induce torpor.

Northern yellow bat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Dasypterus
Species:
D. intermedius
Binomial name
Dasypterus intermedius
(H. Allen, 1862)
Distribution of the Northern Yellow bat (2009)

Description

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The northern yellow bat has an average length of 14 cm. It weighs of 14-31 g. It has a wingspan of 35–41 cm. Its fur ranges in color from yellow orange to gray-brown, and is dark tipped.[2]

Distribution and Habitat

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It is mainly found along the coastal regions of the southeastern United States and eastern Texas, Cuba, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It has been seen in Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.[2]

It usually lives in wooded areas near permanent bodies of water or coastal habitats with Spanish moss or palm trees. They roost within the Spanish moss itself or under the dead hanging fronds of palm trees.[2]

Feeding

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They eat true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, beetles, leafhoppers, flying ants, and on the rare occasion, damselflies and dragonflies.[2]

Reproduction

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The Northern yellow bat mates in autumn and sometimes in winter. They give birth in late May or early June. They usually give birth to two pups. The baby northern yellow bats start flying between June and August.[3]

References

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  1. Miller, B. & Rodriguez, B. (2008). "Lasiurus intermedius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Dasypterus intermedius". Archived from the original on 2014-03-08.
  3. "Bats of the United States and Canada. By Michael J. Harvey, J. Scott Altenbach, and Troy L. Best. Baltimore (Maryland): Johns Hopkins University Press. $24.95 (paper). xiv + 202 p.; ill.; index. ISBN 978-1-4214-0191-1. 2011". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 87 (2): 171. 2012. doi:10.1086/665496. ISSN 0033-5770.