Virginia Bat

Adopted on March 22, 2005.

The Virginia Big-Eared bat, Plecotus townsendii virginianus, as the official bat of Virginia, adopted on March 22, 2005.  The Virginia Cave Board toyed with the idea of a state bat to use as a tool for educating Virginians about caves and the creatures that inhabit them. Board member Clair Ward said that the board thought of the Virginia big-eared bat as a candidate because of its name and its status as a federally endangered species.

Virginia Delegate Jackie T. Stump filed House Bill No. 2579 on January 12, 2005. After approval of the House Committee on General Laws, it was read for the first time in the Virginia House of Delegates on January 26, 2005.

On February 26, after being approved in both the House of Delegates and the Senate, the bill was signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.
 

In March, 2005, Governor Warner signed a new state law designating the big-eared bat as the official state bat. In his signing statement, he expressed a wry sense of humor that is not always evident in elected officials:

This bill designates the Virginia Big-Eared bat as the official bat of the Commonwealth. The Legislature previously has designated a state bird (northern cardinal), a state flower and tree (dogwood), a state dog (American fox hound), a state boat (Chesapeake Bay deadrise), a state dance (square dance), a state insect (tiger swallowtail butterfly), a state fish (brook trout), a state shell (oyster), a state fossil (Chesapecten jeffersonius), and a state beverage (Got Milk?). Therefore, I see no harm in designating a state bat, no matter how odd-looking the Virginia Big-Eared bat might be. However, I am compelled to add this:

I took some grief for my nudist park pun.

But resist I cannot on this one.

I will sign this bill,

more or less of free will.

But I can't do it without having some fun.

 

We have a state dog and a fish and a bird.

And of the fossil I'm sure you have heard.

So why not a bat?

What's wrong with that?

The state beverage is no more absurd.

 

Upon my signature now it appears,

The designation will now last for years.

I'll spare you the Latin

If you're seeking the bat in

A guidebook, it's the one with big ears.

 

I think our bat's up to the test.

If you doubt it, just ask Adam West.

He was TV's Bruce Wayne --

the caped crusader's real name --

and could 'Zap!' and 'Kapow!' with the best.

The Virginia big-eared bat is a medium-sized bat, about 3.5 - 4 inches long. Characteristic features are the large ears (more than one inch long) and the presence of two large lumps (glands) on the muzzle. Virginia big-eared bats can be distinguished from Rafinesque's big-eared bats, the only similar species in Kentucky, by fur color and toe hairs. Virginia big-eared bats are pale to dark brown on the back and light brown underneath. In contrast, Rafinesque's big-eared bats are gray-brown on the back with whitish underparts. Also, Rafinesque's big-eared bats have hairs on their feet that extend past the toes, while Virginia big-eared bats have short toe hairs.

This nonmigratory bat resides in caves year round. Mating occurs in fall and winter, and females store sperm over winter. Ovulation and fertilization take place in spring shortly after females arouse from hibernation. In summer, females congregate to form what are known as maternity colonies where they bear their young. It is not known where most males spend the summer. Each female gives birth to a single pup in June. Young can generally fly within three weeks. Moths are the most important prey of Virginia big-eared bats.

Virginia big-eared bats prefer caves in karst regions (areas underlain with limestone bedrock and many caves and sinkholes) dominated by oak-hickory or beech-maple-hemlock forest. These bats usually hibernate in tight clusters near entrances of caves that are well-ventilated and where temperatures range from 32 to 54 degrees F. In summer, maternity colonies are found in the relatively warm parts of caves.