Bat Conservation: Bats of Ohio

Bats of Ohio

All 11 bat species of Ohio are insectivores and use echolocation to locate their only food of choice which are insects. We have no blood drinking (vampire) bats in Ohio or near the state. See "myths" to find out more about vampire bats. Though we have 11 species of bats, only 9 species really exist in the state. There is only one record for the Small footed bat (Myotis leibii) and Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) is rare in Ohio.This data is based on a 2010 print of "Bats of Ohio."

All Ohio bats belong to the family, Vespertilionidae. They have plain noses, ear lobes form a tragus and the tail extends slightly beyond the hind edge of the interfemoral membrane. The front of the skull is flattened and the front incisors on the two sides are separated by a space.

The most common bats found in Ohio are the big brown, little brown, eastern red and northern long-eared. The big brown and little brown are the species most commonly seen by the public because they can be found roosting in buildings. Though abundant, the eastern red and northern long-eared are not seen that much because they live in the trees (forest). Read more about each bat on their page. See links below.

ARTifacts: Bats of Ohio