Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)
(Federally listed as Endangered)
Description:
The Gray Bat is a small bat with grayish-brown fur and a
slightly wooly appearance. Its body is approximately five inches
in length and its wingspan is 11 to 13 inches. Gray Bats feed on
a variety of small, night-flying insects.
Habitat: The Gray Bat lives in colonies within limestone caves
in the Ozark region. They occupy caves throughout the year, but
different caves are occupied during the summer and winter
months. When foraging for their insect food, Gray Bats hunt over
forested habitats and wetlands.
Current and Historic Distribution: The Gray Bat is a migratory
species that is found in Oklahoma only during the late spring
and summer months (April through September). In the summer, nine
colonies of Gray Bats are known to occupy caves in forested
habitats in Ottawa, Delaware, Cherokee and Adair counties. In
the fall, these bats migrate to the east and hibernate within
caves in Arkansas and Kentucky. The current and historic ranges
for the Gray Bat are similar in Oklahoma.
Reasons for Decline: Nationwide, the Gray Bat population numbers
approximately one million animals, but the species is listed as
endangered because 90% of the population is concentrated in only
eight caves during the hibernation period. Additionally, the
Gray Bat has experienced population declines over the past
century as a result of habitat loss (the clearing of forests
along streams and lakes), past pesticide use, and human
disturbance of their breeding and hibernating caves. Their
behavior of congregating in only a few caves further makes them
vulnerable to these factors.
County by County List of Endangered and Threatened Species
US Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Lists