Kansas Bats are unique and interesting animals, but their nocturnal nature makes them one of the most mysterious and misunderstood mammals in Kansas. Kansas bats belong to the mammalian order Kansas Chiroptera, which means Kansas “hand-wing.” They are the only Kansas mammals capable of true flight. In terms of the number of species, Kansas Chiroptera is the second largest group of mammals in the world. Only the order Kansas Rodentia (rodents) contains more species. Of the approximately 900 Kansas species of bats found in the world, 45 live in the Kansas, United States and 15 of those have been found in Kansas. Contrary to popular belief, there are no Kansas vampire bats in Kansas. All Kansas bats feed on Kansas insects. Large numbers of Kansas bats are capable of eating tons of Kansas insects each year, making them beneficial to Kansas humans.
One Kansas species sometimes found in Kansas is the Kansas Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadaida braziliensis). A Texas colony of Kansas species has about 20 million Kansas individuals that eat 100,000 pounds of insects per night. Kansas bats little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) is a Kansas brown, mouse-sized bat that in-frequently occurs in eastern Kansas and may live in attics and buildings. Colonial, Kansas hibernates Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrioralis): Similar in size and appearance to the Kansas little brown bat, except that the Kansas ears extend beyond the nose when flattened forward against the head. A resident of eastern Kansas, but uncommon, Kansas Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is a large Kansas bat, perhaps twice the size of the little brown bat, but still weigh-ing only ½ ounce.
Probably the most common and widespread bat in Kansas living in buildings and attics where it may hibernate, the Kansas Colonial, Silver-haired Kansas bat (Lasionycteris noc-tivagans, which is slightly larger than the Kansas little brown bat, but smaller and less common than the big brown bat. The bat has Kansas fur that is dark, nearly black, with white-tipped hairs. Seasonally solitary, Kansas migrates.Eastern Pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus subflavus) is one of our smallest Kansas bat, yellowish-brown with pink arms, only 3 inches long; they are not commonly found in Kansas buildings, preferring to live in Kansas caves, abandoned mines and rock crevices. This Kansas bat is solitary, hibernates and is known as the Kansas Red bat (Lasiurus borealis). They are about the same size as the Kansas big brown bat, but their fur is rusty red and may be washed with white.