Learn about Southern Utah’s bats before seeing The Batman this weekend

ST. GEORGE — Bats have been the victims of some really negative PR, especially in the last couple years. But the truth is, bats are an incredibly valuable part of our local ecosystem.

Bats pollinate. Bats spread seeds. Most importantly to me: bats eat bugs. Between 50 and 100 percent of their body weight every night, in bugs. And mostly the bugs we don’t like, e.g. mosquitoes, moths, and bugs that eat crops. Bats are hugely beneficial to agriculture, and without them we would have to deal with way more bugs.

Estimates from the US Fish and Wildlife Service guess that bats save the US agricultural industry as much as three billion dollars each year.

Also, if you think about them as a flying bug-eating kitten, they almost look kinda cute.

Unfortunately, global bat populations are declining due to a slate of bat-challenges the furry flyers face. From extermination by humans to lack of shelter to white nose syndrome, a fungal bat-demic, the need has never been greater for bat-activists. Before you go see The Batman this weekend, learn a little about the local bat species that live in your backyard.

*Note: Like any wild animal, don’t touch bats. Like any animal, they can carry disease.

Where can you see bats in Southern Utah?

Bats are easiest spotted at dawn or dusk, hunting bugs. It is easiest to find them in areas near water. During the day, bats like to roost in caves, rocky crevices, canyons, old mines, old dead trees, and some human built structures (including bridges).

In Southern Utah, some bat species hibernate through the winter and some migrate south. Bats are known to roost in the lava tubes at Snow Canyon and in Mammoth Cave near Cedar Breaks.

To the untrained eye, it is easy to confuse bats and birds in flight. The key is to watch their flight patterns. Bats fly in short scooping motions rather than graceful swoops. They also don’t glide on their wings like birds do.

Your friendly neighborhood bats

There are as many as 18 different types of bat that live in Southern Utah. Here are five of the most common bats living near us. But there are so many more to learn about and discover!

1. The Western Pipistrelle or Canyon Bat (Parastrellus hesperus)

The canyon bat is the smallest bat in the United States, only about as long as one of your fingers, and only weighs 3-6 grams. They are also one of the most common bats in Southern Utah. They roost mainly in rock crevices. Like most bats, they eat insects, and they believe in the rise-and-grind mentality, often being the first bats out at night and the last ones to bed at dawn.

2. The Fringed Myotis (Myotis thysanodes)

*She looks like she’s hamming it up for the camera.*

You can find these little dudes all the way up in British Columbia and as far south as Mexico. They’re a little bigger than the canyon bat, and eat more beetles than anything else! To each their own, I guess. They have a little fringe of short hairs on the flap between their hind legs, and it’s theorized they use it to help catch prey. They hibernate from October to March, so myotis thysanodes should be waking up any day now!

3. California myotis (Myotis californicus)

Not only are Californians buying up the homes in St. George, they’re moving into our caves too! The bats, I mean. During the day, the California myotis likes to hang out in dead tree bark, rock crevices, or buildings. They fly slowly but are very maneuverable. Also, baby bats are called ‘pups.’ How adorable is that?

4. Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)

*Maybe the goofiest looking goof on this list.*

Look at those ears! So apparently, some moths have developed the ability to hear bat squeaks, helping them avoid becoming a bat lunch. But Townsends love eating moths. So they stepped up their game: quieter bat squeaks and bigger ears. The Townsend is a master at echolocation and a pro moth hunter.

5. The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus)

Pallid bats are one of the bigger bats, with a wingspan of 12-16 inches. Instead of hunting prey out of the sky, pallid bats are “gleaners,” which means they pick their food up off the ground and bring it home to eat. This means that while they can echolocate, they usually just hunt by the sound of their prey. Sort of like the aliens from A Quiet Place? Much cuter, though.