Biodiversity
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Desert Red Bat
Lasiurus blossevillii | Lesson & Garnet, 1826
Characteristics: It overall color is reddish-brown, with diffuse shades of gray, a slightly paler belly, and rust-colored face. It may have clear spots on the base of its thumb. Its ears are short and rounded, and the skin of its face and ears is pink.
Distribution: This species occurs in Bolivia, Northern Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Western North America, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, the Guianas, Suriname, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Galapagos, and Venezuela.
Habitat: Found in cities living in trees, where it takes refuge in the leaves, trunks, forks, and denser foliage. Common in floodplain and dry land areas.
Habits: Individuals are solitary, but can be found in large groups. They come out at night to hunt and catch their prey in fast, high-altitude flights, so they are rarely seen in the understory nets.
Diet: This bat feeds on small invertebrates, moths, flies, insects, beetles, and cicadas. Foraging begins one to two hours after sunset. In anthropized areas, their activity often focuses near lamps.
Breeding: The species mates between January and November. The female may have 1-4 pups. Gestation lasts 90 days. It takes six weeks for the pups to fly.