Rafinesque's big-eared bat is restricted to the southeastern United States. It is one of the most common bats in the park. It is easily distinguished from other park bats by its very large ears and prominent lumps near the nose. In 1950, females were observed carrying young approximately half as large as the parent on several occasions near park headquarters (Linzey, 1995a). Big-eared bats usually roost singly, rather than in clusters. They leave their roost well after dark and return before dawn. Their flight is slow, and they can hover in one place.

Species Measurements:
- Adult Total Length: 92-106 mm (3 5/8-4 1/4 in.)
- Tail: 41-54 mm (1 5/8-2 1/8in.)
- Hind Foot: 8-12 mm (1/4-1/2 in.)
- Weight: 6-10 g (1/5-1/3 oz.)

Physical Characteristics:
The medium-sized Rafinesque's big-eared bat is easily distinguished from other park bats by its very large ears, and prominent lumps near the nose. The ears are 1 inch (25 mm) long and are joined at their base. These bats are dark brown above and white below. The interfemoral membrane and wings are unfurred.

Habitat:
Rafinesque's big-eared bats roost in hollow trees, caves, mines, and buildings. Twenty-two individuals were found roosting on a hillside near Eagle Creek in a discarded boiler 11 feet in diameter, and 4? feet long lying on its side (Linzey, 1995a).

Reproduction:
Copulation in Rafinesque's big-eared bats, as with most bats that hibernate, takes place in autumn and winter. Females congregate in nursery colonies, after emerging from the hibernaculum, and give birth to a single young in late May or early June. In 1950, on several occasions, females had been observed carrying young approximately half as large as the parent near park headquarters (Linzey, 1995a).

Longevity:
Rafinesque's big-eared bats may live as long as 10 years.

Terrestrial Ecology:
The senses of sight and hearing are well developed in bats. Since most bats become active near dusk, and are active much of the night, sight is of little importance in navigation and in the capture of prey. Instead, they use echolocation, a system somewhat similar to radar. They emit ultrasonic calls, far above the range of human hearing, that are reflected from objects ahead of them. They hear the echoes, and are able to avoid obstacles and find food in total darkness. Different species can be distinguished by differences in the structure of their echolocation calls (Fenton and Bell, 1981).

Big-eared bats usually roost singly rather than in clusters. They leave their roost well after dark, and return before dawn. Their flight is slow, and they can hover in one place. During feeding maneuvers, the tail and wing membranes are used to capture and restrain prey. Some insects are captured by the tail membrane, which forms a pouch-like compartment. the bat must bend its head forward in order to grasp the insect with its teeth and take it into its mouth. Sometimes the bat may use its mouth to capture an insect from its wing.

Predators and Defense:
No predators recorded from the park.

Parasites:
None recorded from the park.

Transmittable Diseases:
Bats are capable of transmitting two diseases to humans - rabies and histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by inhaling dust that contains contaminated spored. Tuttle (1988) stated: "Less than a half of 1 percent of bats contract rabies, a frequency no higher than that seen in many other animals. Like others, they die quickly, but unlike even dogs and cats, rabid bats seldom become aggressive." Bats do not attack when they get rabies; they just lie in one place. Although it is rare for humans to contract rabies from infected bats, persons handling them should be aware of this possibility.

Rafinesque's big-eared bat is restricted to the southeastern United States. It ranges from southeastern Virginia, southern Illinois, central Indiana, and Ohio south to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic Ocean west to Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas.

Rafinesque's big-eared bats are one of the most common bats in the park, and have been recorded from elevations ranging from 1,530 feet to 2,400 feet. Harvey (1991) noted that the largest known hibernating colony (570 bats), as well as smaller maternity colonies, occupied the abandoned mines in the southwestern section of the park. On February 23, 1993, a survey by Park Service biologists revealed a total of 699 hibernating bats in one Eagle Creek Mine, and 454 bats in Sugar Fork Mine.

References:

Barbour, R.W. and W.H. Davis. 1969. Bats of America. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.

Fenton, M.B. and G.P. Bell. 1981. Recognition of Insectivorous Bats by their Echolocation Calls. Journal of Mammalogy 62(2): 233-243

Harvey, M.J. 1987. Bat Utilization of Historic Structures in the Cataloochee Historic Zone and of Mines in the Sugar Fork and Eagle Creek Watersheds, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Report to National Park Service.

Harvey, M.J. 1991. Survey for Threatened and Endangered Mammals on the Right-Of-Way of Proposed Segment 8D of the Foothills Parkway. Report to the Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Harvey, M.J., J.S. Altenbach, and T.L. Best. 1999. Bats of the United States. Little Rock: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Jones, C. 1977. Plecotis rafinesquii. Mammalian Species No. 69: 1-4. American Society of Mammalogists.

Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the

Lynch, M.R. and C. Jones. 1999. Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat. Pages 119-121. In: D.E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, D.C.

Tuttle, M.D. 1988. America's Neighborhood Bats. Austin: University of Texas Press.