Type of Bats Native to Oklahoma

Oklahoma is home to more than 22 different native species of bats, which is approximately half of all bat species native to the United States. While bats are year-round residents of Oklahoma, others are migrating bats that leave during the winter and return the following spring. While there are 22 species, several are much more common than others.

  1. Little Brown Bat

    • Contrary to being known as "little," this bat can have a wingspan up to 11 inches across. Their bodies are usually up to 3.5 inches from the top of the head to the tip of the tail, though their noticeably long ears can sometimes make them appear even longer. Like all bats, the main staple of the little brown bat's diet is insects, of which it can consume more than 1,200 in a single hour.

    Big Brown Bat

    • The big brown bat is certainly bigger than the little brown bat, with a wingspan that can stretch to 13 inches and a body that can grow to 5 inches in length. Other noticeable characteristics of big brown bats include surprisingly long body hair that can appear in a range of colors from dark brown to nearly pink. Big Brown Bats can have up to two pups, with births usually occurring at the end of May or beginning of June.

    Mexican Free-tailed Bats

    • While the largest known concentration of Mexican free-tailed bats live in Texas, they are no strangers to Oklahoma. As one might expect, the most distinguishing characteristic of the Mexican free-tailed bat is its long tail, which actually extends noticeably beyond its body. While many bats live in barns, attics and under eaves, the Mexican free-tailed bat is a cave dweller that can mainly be found in Western Oklahoma.

    More Bats in Oklahoma

    • As mentioned there are 19 more types of bats native to Oklahoma. They are as follows: the big free-tailed bat, the canyon bat, the cave myotis, the evening bat, the gray bat, the hoary bat, the Indiana bat, the Keen's bat, the Ozark big-eared bat, the pallid bat, the Rafinesque's big-eared bat, the red bat, the Seminole bat, the silver-haired bat, the small-footed bat, the southeastern bat, the Townsend's big-eared bat, the tri-colored bat and the Yuma Bat.