BIG BROWN BAT

Southern California has 20 to 25 species of bats. A bat was found on the ground (it later flew away) in a back yard in Santa Clarita, southern California. The animal had apparently been resting in a garden shed and was disturbed in its slumber. It did not allow vertical nor side views of it (no one should ever pick up a bat on the ground), thus its identification as to genus and species is questionable. The bat appeared to be dazed, but after a short time of recovery, it flew away.

As can be seen in the only photograph I have of this bat, its upper wing surfaces, face, and ears are black. Its head and neck area, however, are gray. I do not have information as to the complete coloration of this specimen. Its wingspan is an estimated 10 inches.

The “Big Brown Bat” (?Eptesicus fuscus) is my tentative identification of this specimen. According to Macmillan Encyclopedia (1984, pp. 50-51), a bat with similar coloration and a wingspan of 10.25 inches to 14.5 inches is Eptesicus fuscus.

This bat species is found in southern Canada, throughout the USA, the Caribbean region, and South America (Columbia and Venezuela). Most bats are insectivores and nocturnal, so seeing one in the day was unusual (Wikipedia 2026).

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Chiroptera

Family Vespertilliondae

Genus Eptesicus

Type Species E. fuscus

As with most bats, this bat is an insectivore and is nocturnal. Its life span is about 6.5 years.

References

Macmillan illustrated animal encyclopedia. 1984. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 600 pp.

Wikipedia, 2026.