The northern long-eared is found from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario, Canada, south to northern Florida and southern Arkansas, and west to northeastern Oklahoma, eastern Wyoming, and eastern Montana. Similar to the little brown bat in size and coloration, the northern long-eared has duller pelage and larger ears. They prefer caves and mines that are relatively cool and moist, and where the air is still (Harvey et al., 1999).

Species Measurements:
- Adult Total Length: 75-100 mm (3-4 in.)
- Tail: 36-45 mm (1 1/2-1 3/4 in.)
- Hind Foot: 7-9 mm (1/4-1/3 in.)
- Weight: 5-10 g (1/6-1/3 oz.)

Physical Characteristics:
Bats are unique among mammals because their forelimbs are specialized for true flight. Flight membranes, which are actually extensions of the skin of the back and belly, connect the body with the wings, legs, and tail. Unlike birds, bats use both legs and wings during flight. Other modifications for flight include greatly elongated fingers to provide support for the wing membrane, a keeled sternum for the attachment of the enlarged flight muscles, and fusion of some vertebrae. The membrane extending from the tail to the hind legs is known as the interfemoral membrane. Although similar to the little brown bat in size and coloration, the northern long-eared has duller pelage and larger ears which extend 4 to 5 mm beyond the tip of the nose when laid forward. The wing attaches along the side of the foot, reaching to the base of the toes.

Habitat:
All of the park's caves provide critically important habitats for bats. During the summer, these bats use buildings, towers, hollow trees, the loose bark of trees, crevices of cliffs, and the undersides of bridges as day roosts, but commonly use caves as night roosts. During winter, these colonial bats move into caves and abandoned mines where they either hang individually, or in small clusters of 25 to 30. They prefer caves and mines that are relatively cool and moist, and where the air is still (Harvey et al., 1999).

Reproduction:
Little is known about the reproductive habits. Mating presumably occurs in autumn, and sperm is stored in the female until fertilization in the spring. Females give birth to a single young between late May and July.

Longevity:
The maximum recorded age for a wild northern long-eared is 18.5 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).

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.

Eleven species of bats have been recorded in the park and all feed exclusively on insects. During the colder months when flying insects are unavailable, bats must either hibernate or migrate to warmer areas. Eight of the species found in the park are known to hibernate. Only three - the red bat, hoary bat, and the silver-haired bat - are migratory. Bats are seen flying over the park during every month of the year. However, when flying during the winter, they do not feed.

Predators and Defense:
No predators recorded from the park.

Parasites:
See "Bat Flea", Myodopsylla insignis (Rothschild)

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 spores. 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.

The northern long-eared is found from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario, Canada, south to northern Florida and southern Arkansas, and west to northeastern Oklahoma, eastern Wyoming, and eastern Montana.

The northern long-eared has been recorded from six localities within the park and along the Foothills Parkway.

The northern long-eared bat has been designated as a species of "state concern" in North Carolina.

References:

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

Fenton, M.B. 1999a. Little Brown Bat. Pages 94-95. In: D.E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Fitch, J.H. and K.A. Shump, Jr. 1979. Myotis keenii. Mammalian Species No. 121: 1-3. American Society of Mammalogists.

Hall, J.S., R.J. Cloutier and D.R. Griffin. 1957. Longevity Records and Notes on Tooth Wear of Bats. Journal of Mammalogy 38(3): 407-409.

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

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 Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.

Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

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