Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)

Description: The big brown bat is a fairly large bat, as its name implies.
​Fur color ranges from dark brown to reddish or golden brown. They are similar in appearance to the evening bat, but are larger in size.  

Roosting behavior:​ Found more commonly in manmade structures such as buildings and bridges, this species historically would roost in small colonies in tree cavities. Sometimes are found roosting with Brazilian free-tailed bats.

​Diet: Big brown bats have strong jaws and heavy teeth, allowing them to feed on hard-bodied insects such as beetles. They have also been known to eat flies, mosquitoes, and termites and ants during their flying stages.

​Morphological characteristics: Keeled calcar, rounded tragus

​Range: Big brown bats are not as common in Florida as in other parts of their range, however, in Florida, they occupy the panhandle and the upper two-thirds of the state, as well as several counties in southwest Florida.
​
Remarks: Big brown bats typically give birth from May through mid-June, to twins in the eastern U.S. and a single pup in western states.

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At a glance:

Measurements	Categories
Wingspan: 320-350 mm (13 inches)	Family: Vespertilionidae
Body length: 53-81 mm (2 and 1/2 inches)	Florida occurrence: Resident
Total length: 87-138 mm (4 and 1/2 inches)	Florida status: Uncommon
Forearm length: 41-52 mm	Roosting behavior: Colonial
Weight: 11-23 grams	Regional classification: Temperate

Bats of Florida by
Cynthia S. Marks and George E. Marks; Sep 26, 2006