OBJECT OF THE MONTH - MAY 2006
Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum)
Spotted bat (Euderma maculatum, Family Vespertilionidae) from Arizona (UCM 15179).
The spotted bat is one of the most distinctive, yet least known of the 46 bat species in the United States. Its range extends from British Columbia through the western interior of the U.S. down to Mexico. Along with its enormous ears, the characteristics that make this species distinct from all other bats are three conspicuous white 'spots', one over each shoulder, and one on the rump.
The adorable face of the spotted bat has been featured on a 37-cent postage stamp.
Because of the secretive nature of this species, biological information about this beautiful organism is scarce across North America. At the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, four dried skins of spotted bats are preserved in the Mammal Collection. However, none of these are from Colorado. In fact, it was not until 1982 that the first record of the species from Colorado was published.
Most reports of spotted bats have been based on either visual observation or acoustic recognition of their calls using a 'bat detector.' According to such fragmentary information, their local distribution in Colorado is apparently restricted to the Western Slope.
