Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Bat species - Corynorhinus

Today I received some kinda bad news. I don't wanna talk about it in public, but all I gotta say is that accidents happen and we shouldn't blame ourselves for those.
Now, back on topic. Our next bat species is called Corynorhinus.
The Ozark Big-Eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) is the largest and reddest of the five subspecies of Corynorhinus townsendii and is medium-sized and weighs from 0.2 to 0.5 ounces. It has very large, 1” long ears that connect at the base across the forehead. The snout has large, prominent lumps above the nostrils. These particular bats feed on moths and other insects; they forage along forest edges.
The caves used by Ozark Big-Eared bats are located in karst regions dominated by oak-hickory forests. Karst is a special type of landscape that is formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, including limestone and dolomite. The temperature of hibernation caves ranges from 40° to 50°F. The Ozark Big-Eared bats use caves all year around, thus they are highly susceptible to extinction if their homes vary too greatly in temperature, are disturbed or destroyed. The Ozark big-eared bats once lived in caves in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. However, they have apparently abandoned their Missouri habitat due to human encroachment and cave disturbance.


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