Minnesota is home to two colonizing bat species, the little brown bat (Myotis Lucifugus) and the big brown bat (Eptesicus Fuscus). These are both nocturnal mammals that feed on insects from dusk to dawn. Bats navigate and locate food using echolocation, or the sending out of high frequency sound waves. When these waves strike an object they echo back to the bat, revealing the “shape” of their environment and the things in it.
Hibernation and reproduction is timed similarly for both colonial bat species. Mating occurs in the fall, shortly before hibernation. Big brown bats will often overwinter in attics, while little brown bats are more likely to migrate to winter harborages like mines, caves and similar environments. During hibernation, bats will hang upside down, periodically waking and moving to a more comfortable location, usually within the same colony site.
