Quick answers
| Question | Answer | Scope | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where they live | In caves, including warm thermal caves, and in bridges, buildings and other structures. | Bats of Yellowstone National Park | NPS, Yellowstone National Park | |
| What they eat | Insects. Every bat species recorded in Yellowstone eats insects; Ohio bats take moths, beetles, flies, true bugs and hoppers. | Yellowstone bats; Ohio bats | NPS, Yellowstone National Park; Ohio State University Extension | |
| How much they eat | A little brown bat can eat 50 to 100 percent of its body weight in insects in a single night. | Little brown bat, Ohio | Ohio State University Extension | |
| Do they hibernate? | Yes, or they migrate, or both. Ohio bats are active from spring to fall; in winter, with few insects around, many hibernate in caves and old mines. | Bats in Ohio | Ohio State University Extension | |
| Babies | Most Yellowstone bats come out of hibernation in mid-April, give birth in mid-June and have one pup a year. | Most bats of the Greater Yellowstone area | NPS, Yellowstone National Park | |
| What eats bats | Owls, falcons, hawks, snakes and raccoons, mostly as opportunists. | Bats of Yellowstone National Park | NPS, Yellowstone National Park | |
| How long they live | Many live 10 to 30 years. | Bats of Yellowstone National Park | NPS, Yellowstone National Park |
In the sources’ own words
Where they live
National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Bats“They roost in natural habitats, including thermally heated caves, as well as in bridges, buildings, and other human structures…”
Scope: Bats of Yellowstone National Park
What they eat
National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Bats“All bat species that have been documented in Yellowstone National Park are all insectivores…”
Ohio State University Extension (Ohioline), White-Nose Syndrome in Ohio Bats (W-22)“Ohio bats feed on many different insects including moths, beetles, flies, true bugs, and hoppers.”
Scope: Yellowstone bats; Ohio bats
How much they eat
Ohio State University Extension (Ohioline), White-Nose Syndrome in Ohio Bats (W-22)“A single little brown bat, a common species in Ohio, can consume 50–100% of its body weight in insects each night.”
Scope: Little brown bat, Ohio
Do they hibernate?
Ohio State University Extension (Ohioline), White-Nose Syndrome in Ohio Bats (W-22)“Ohio bats are active from early spring through fall, but during the winter months, when insects are mostly unavailable, bats must hibernate, migrate, or do both to survive.”
Scope: Bats in Ohio
Babies
National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Bats“…hibernation ends around mid-April and the females give birth in mid-June. Most give birth to one pup a year…”
Scope: Most bats of the Greater Yellowstone area
What eats bats
National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Bats“Predators are generally opportunistic and include owls, falcons, hawks, snakes, and raccoons.”
Scope: Bats of Yellowstone National Park
How long they live
National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Bats“…many bats live 10–30 years…”
Scope: Bats of Yellowstone National Park
What these sources do not say
- Fruit bats and vampire bats. Both pages cover bats in the United States, which eat insects.
- Lifespans for single species. Yellowstone gives one range for its bats as a group.