page_title: Indiana bat
section_title: Hibernacula
hierarchical_section_title: Indiana bat / Habitat / Hibernacula
caption_attribution_description: healthy Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) photo credit: Ann Froschauer/USFWS
context_page_description: The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is gray, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g. It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.
  Indiana bats live in hardwood and hardwood-pine forests. It is common in old-growth forest and in agricultural land, mainly in forest, crop fields, and grasslands. As an insectivore, the bat eats both terrestrial and aquatic flying insects, such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and midges.
  The Indiana bat is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It has had serious population decline, estimated to be more than 50% over the past 10 years, based on direct observation and a decline on its extent of occurrence.
context_section_description: During hibernation, Indiana bats occupy open areas of hibernacula ceilings and generally avoid crevices and other enclosed areas. They were associated with hibernacula that were long (µ=2,817 feet or 858 m), had high ceilings (µ=15 feet or 4.5 m), and had large entrances (µ=104.4 feet² or 9.7 m²). The preferred hibernacula often had multiple entrances promoting airflow. Hibernacula choice may be influenced by the ability of the outside landscape to provide adequate forage upon arrival at the hibernacula, as well as the specific microclimate inside. Having forested areas around the hibernacula entrance and low amounts of open farmland may be important factors influencing the suitability of hibernacula.
caption: Indiana bats at a hibernaculum
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