- Scientific Name
- Lasiurus seminolus
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Region
- Tennessee, Virginia, North America, Pennsylvania, USA, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
Pronunciation: lay-zee-your-us sem-a-nole-us
The distribution of Seminole Bats seems to be closely associated with the distribution of Spanish moss, the clumps of which provide roosting sites. Adult Seminole Bats are solitary and roosts are usually occupied by a single individual, or a female with young. Bat-inhabited moss clumps are usually shaded from the sun and often found on the west and southwest exposures of oak trees. These bats have been observed roosting in such clumps from one to five meters above the ground.
The bats emerge from their daytime roosts early in the evening and forage among or above the crowns of the trees, over watercourses, and around clearings. They may occasionally alight on vegetation to capture prey. Their food consists of true bugs, flies, beetles, and even ground-dwelling crickets. Two to four young ( typically two) are born in late May or June. The young bats grow rapidly and are thought to be capable of flight at the age of three or four weeks.
Seminole Bats are thought to be residents within their range in the Deep South. They do not hibernate in the true sense but rather are active throughout the winter when weather conditions permit. Observations indicate that on days when the ambient temperature is below 20°C the bats do not leave their daytime roosts, but whenever temperatures in the evening exceed 20°C they emerge and take flight.