Of Missouri's abundant wildlife, bats are one of the least
seen creatures that call the Ozark Hills home. Many people probably
don't even realize that their land provides a home for these passive
little animals.
Why do I want bats on my land?
Bats are beneficial to humans because bats eat huge numbers of insects. Bats are the only major insect predator that feeds at night. A single colony of 1,000 bats, with each bat weighing less than half an ounce, may eat more than 2,200 pounds of insects per year--about 660 million insects! Some of these insects are crop damaging pests. But even if you don't farm your land, everyone can use fewer mosquitoes in the summer.
Bats are unique as they are the only mammals that fly or navigate by echolocation, a form of sonar. Seeing hundreds or even thousands of bat leaving a cave at dusk can be a spectacle well worth the efforts of being a bat cave landlord.
What can I do to protect bats on my land?
Although the Endangered Species Act protects endangered
bats, only landowners can protect the caves where they live. Without a safe habitat to raise their young and hibernate, Gray
and Indiana bats, as well as other cave species, will continue
to decline in numbers.
You can make a difference in the quality of life that bats and other cave creatures have with reasonably little effort. Here are several ways to protect you cave:
- If your land has a wooded area with a cave entrance, chances are bats are quietly living inside. Some species of Missouri's bats are declining, and face extinction unless we protect them. This pamphlet will give you, the landowner, some practical guidelines to help you make your cave a safe place for bats and other cave animals.
- Deny access between April 1 and October 30 if bats are roosting in summer or between September 1 and April 30 if they are hibernating. Disturbance by people can disrupt nurseries or awaken sleeping bats and some will die.
- Contact the Missouri Department of Conservation for a sign warning visitors not to disturb endangered bats, or for information on installing cave fences and gates to protect the bats.
- Maintain a forested area of 10-20 acres around the entrance of the cave. Bats need a wooded area a least 100 feet wide leading to the nearest stream, and a foraging area 100 feet wide along each stream bank.
- Prohibit camping or fires at the cave entrance. Smoke damages caves and drives out bats. Endangered bats can be scared away by people camping at a cave's mouth.
Please contact the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) before installing fences or gates at your cave. Because bats fly in and out of caves, an improperly placed fence or gate could cause the bats to quit using the cave. MDC can provide information on building a proper fence or gate. If the cave contains an endangered species, MDC may also help you fund your project.
Bats and the caves they live in
Three Missouri bat species are presently endangered: the Gray bat (Myotis grisescens), the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), and the Ozark big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendii ingens).
Gray bats live in caves throughout the year, and are very particular in choosing
a location to raise their young. Preferred caves are usually large, with a stream
and a dome-shaped chamber that traps heat at the ceiling where the bats cluster.
Less than 5 percent of all caves in the Gray bat's range are used for raising
young bats. Indiana bats spend the winter in caves, and roost under the tree
bark in summer.
Gray and Indiana bats also are particular about caves for hibernation. Gray bats require caves with deep vertical shafts which trap cold air. Indiana bats also need cold caves. Missouri has more than 5,000 caves, but Gray bats hibernate in only three of them. Only two dozen caves and a mine are used by hibernating Indiana bats. As these numbers show, if you own a cave used by one of these bats, you own a special cave.
The Ozark big-eared bat has been reduced to less than 2,000 individuals. They have not been found in Missouri since 1968. Indiana bats in Missouri number under 200,000. (They once numbered more than 500,000.) Gray bats have fared better--their populations of 0.5 million has begun to increase in the past 10 years. However, they must still be protected or they will once again begin to decline in Missouri.
Content revision: 20040629
