A wildlife organization says it has documented a bat species not typically found in Colorado.
According to the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center (NCWC), someone found the bat with an injured wing. Because it is winter, most of the bats in the state should be hibernating.
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“He must have gotten his den disturbed somehow, and there are no flying insects that the bats eat right now,” said Tallon Nightwalker, the Operations Director at the NCWC. “So he probably was out for a while and got skinny and downed himself and then hurt his wing when he crash landed, is what we suspect.”
When the animal was brought to the NCWC, staff believed it was a common species. However, while evaluating the bat, they began to notice characteristics that didn’t align with those typically found in the state.
From there, they reached out to bat biologists from Colorado State University and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. After further evaluation, researchers determined it was an evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis).
The species of bat is usually only found in the southeastern and central parts of the United States. Researchers say its appearance raises questions about species distribution, potential range expansion and what may have led the bat to Colorado in the first place.
Officials believe the recent warm weather may have played a factor.
“From a history standpoint, we see these guys when the weather's unusually warm, like it is, said Nightwalker. “They think it's safe for them, but then the nights are still getting so cold.”
This is only the fourth time the species has been found in the state.
While pinpointing where the bat found in Colorado originated can be tricky, researchers did perform a DNA test to try to narrow it down.
The NCWC plans to release the bat when it is healthy, but they’re still deciding where the animal will be released.
“We want to make sure that it's set up for success. For bats, one of those pre-release kind of criteria we have to meet is to release them with a known colony, so that they have their buddies that they can go back with and re-establish themselves,” said Nightwalker. “Being that we don't know where an evening bat colony is, we'll have to see if we get special permission from Colorado Parks and Wildlife to transport this guy, maybe back to Nebraska or Oklahoma, or further into the central United States.”
The NCWC says this case is a good reminder to reach out to wildlife rehabilitation services when you find an injured animal.
“Our team is trained to look closely and question what we’re seeing, even when a case initially appears routine,” said Michela Dunbar, Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator and Executive Director at NCWC, in a press release. “Wildlife rehabilitation centers are often on the front lines of detecting changes in species presence, and this discovery highlights how careful intake and evaluation can contribute meaningful data to the broader scientific community.”
You can contact the NCWC on their website.
