Fun Seminole Bat Facts For Kids

Don’t worry, these bats will not turn into vampires.

Neither too big nor too small, the Lasiurus seminolus is a medium sized bat that is found mainly in the southeastern parts of the United States of America. The Gulf Coast states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Southeastern Oklahoma, and Texas are a few states covering the distribution of this chestnut red bat. However, Seminole bats migrate to warmer parts of the southeastern region of the United States in the winter days.

This species is often confused for the eastern red bats as well as the hoary Bats. But their small body size and rich mahogany brown fur tint are the first features noticeable in its description which distinctly separates this species from the other bats. It is often in late May when the young ones of these bats are born.

Are you loving these amazing facts on the Seminole bat? You may also be interested in reading about these Bassador facts and the greater kudu facts.

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What type of animal is a Seminole bat?

The mahogany Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus) is a type of bat.

What class of animal does a Seminole bat belong to?

The reddish orange Seminole bats comes under the class of mammals.

How many Seminole bats are there in the world?

There is no recorded total population count of this medium sized bat.

Where does a Seminole bat live?

These birds prefer dense forest regions with oak or pine trees and islands. These birds in wildlife have their distribution located along with the Gulf Coast range, stretching from the eastern region of Texas down to the south Atlantic coastal range. It also prevails in the northern areas of Northern Carolina as well as Arkansas. They are known to migrate to the southeastern range of the United States.

What is a Seminole bat's habitat?

Clumps of Spanish moss are of great importance for this species. These bats spend a large portion of their lifetime in dense deciduous forests of pine trees, hickory, oak, or other tall trees. They are also spotted along the edges of prairies as well as on islands. Seminole bat roosting is usually under leaf clusters, loose bark, other forest wildlife shelters, or clumps of Spanish moss. They also roost in caves and loose barks in wildlife. The ground under the tree that they choose to roost usually has piles of leaves and any other organic litter. This is done so that sunlight does not directly reflect from the ground to their eyes when they are hanging.

Who do Seminole Bats live with?

Reddish orange Lasiurus seminolus (Seminole bats) prefer living alone, away from other bats of their own kind.  

How long does a Seminole bat live?

There are no recorded estimates on the lifespan of this medium sized bat, although most bats live less than 20 years in general, but there are some exceptions.

How do they reproduce?

The average litter size of this Lasiurus seminolus seminole ranges between one to four pups. Young Seminole bats are usually born in late May all the way to early June, where the population of insects has a positive trend. The pregnancy lasts for around 2.5-3 months, and by early June, all the young are born. These young pups usually cling to the females. If the female bat needs to arrange for food, they survive alone in the roosts until the mothers bring back good prey. Bats, in general, are among the slowest of all mammals in their reproductive nature. Flying begins to take place almost three to six weeks after the young are born. It is around the month of August when they are fully weaned and are ready to be independent. Both male and female Seminoles reach their maturity at about one year of age.

What is their conservation status?

In the IUCN Red List, Seminole bat has its conservation status listed as Least Concern. However, the population of this species in Southeastern Oklahoma is branded as a bat species requiring special concern.

What do Seminole bats look like?

The medium size of this bat is the first observation that can be made about its description. They have a deep brown hued fur, more likely to be in shades of mahogany color. The fur has frosty white patches at its tips, thus giving a red maroon tint to the body. Seminole bats also have cream or white patches spread over their wrists and shoulders. They have a well-furred tail membrane, with the pelage running till the end of the tail tip. Their throats and undersides also have pale white fur. Females have slightly larger bodies than their male counterparts. The tail is about 1.8-2 in (4.6-5 cm), and their small ears have a length of 0.4-0.5 in (1-1.3 cm). These ears are round in shape and have a rounder tragus.

How cute are they?

We find the Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus) absolutely cute!

How do they communicate?

All bats generally communicate with each other using high frequency noises. These noises may be chirps, songs, or even screeches. These sounds are emitted at frequencies of about 100000 waves every second! Hence, the noises made by bats may not audible to the human ear. Perception and communication with the surrounding environment are done using echolocation. This methodology helps them in identifying their surroundings and being aware of possible predators. They perceive the echoes coming back from their calls in identifying their surroundings, hence identifying possible prey, trees, or obstacles in its path. They have top notch visibility in darkness.

How big is a Seminole Bat?

Seminole bats a body length in the range of 4-4.5 in (10-11.4 cm). The forearms of these bats have a length of 1.4-1.78 in (3.5-4.5 cm). Their wide wingspans extend between the range of 11-13 in (28-33 cm). The length of this Spanish moss lover is as much as a regular ballpen.

How fast can a Seminole bat move?

We do not have the exact speed of the reddish orange Seminole bat.

How much does a Seminole bat weigh?

The Seminole bat weighs about 0.3-0.5 oz (8-15 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for both sexes of this species.

What would you call a baby Seminole bat?

Baby bats, in general, are called pups.

What do they eat?

The Seminole bats’ diet is primarily insectivorous, that is, these creatures feed on insects. Common prey of these bats include ants, wasps, bees, moths, flies, beetles, cicadas, bugs, crickets, and many more insects. They find their prey through the use of echolocation, usually at the top of trees.

Are they poisonous?

The reddish Lasiurus seminolus is not a poisonous species.

Would they make a good pet?

We do not think bats would make a good pet as they are comfortable in darkness and have specific habitat requirements.

Did you know...

During extremities in the weather conditions, this mahogany red bat takes cover usually under any loose bark. At the dawn of winter days, this hazel-red bat uses Spanish moss as well as other plant material for insulation.

Some of the known predators of wildlife include the blue jay, skunks, raptors, Virginia opposums, and even snakes.

This medium-sized bat is also well recognized for its color (rich mahogany brown), and gets the name of the Mahogany bat.

There are possibilities of these bats being infected with rabies. If this species tries defending itself against dangerous predators, there are chances of rabies being passed on.

These mahogany red bats spend most of their winter in the Gulf Coast States.

This bat was earlier thought to be a subspecies of the eastern red bat.

The fur coated tail membrane distinguishes this red bat from the other Lasiurus.

Why is the Seminole bat important?

The population of insects in the ecosystem can be well managed in the presence of the Seminole bats. These bats can help farmers and the agriculture sector with their predation of all types of insects, hence keeping the crops and yield free from insect infections.

Do they drink blood?

Only three of these species of bats, the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), the hairy legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata), and the white winged Vampire Bat (Diaemus youngi) drink blood. The Lasiurus seminolus does not feed on blood.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these cockalier facts and Arabian oryx facts pages!

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring on one of our free printable Seminole bat coloring pages.