All Florida bats are insectivorous and feed on mosquitoes, flies, leafhoppers, beetles and many other insects. Each bat is estimated to eat its weight in food every night. To find insects, bats use echolocation, a sophisticated sonar system. While flying, bats emit a continuous series of supersonic sounds through their nose or open mouth. The sounds bounce off objects and are picked up by the bats' sensitive ears.
Echolocation allows bats to detect even slight movement.
Once they locate their prey, bats can capture it with the mouth, wings or tail membranes. They mate in the fall and produce 1 to 2 babies in the spring. Babies are flightless and remain in the roost until the end of August. Unlike other rabies-carriers, bats that do have rabies will most likely become paralyzed and die quietly. This large, yellow-brown bat is common across the entire state of Florida, occurring in wooded areas.