Ozark big-eared bat
The Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) is an endangered species found only in a small number of caves in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, the southern central United States. Also known as the western big-eared bat, the long-eared bat, and the lump-nosed bat, its appearance is defined by a pair of outsize ears and a lump-adorned nose.
| Ozark big-eared bat | |
|---|---|
| An Ozark big-eared bat on a cave ceiling | |
| Hibernating Ozark big-eared bat | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Corynorhinus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. t. ingens |
| Trinomial name | |
| Corynorhinus townsendii ingens Handley, 1955 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Plecotus townsendii subsp. ingens (Handley, 1955) | |
The Ozark big-eared bat is the largest and reddest of the five subspecies of Corynorhinus townsendii, is medium-sized and weighs from 0.2 to 0.5 ounces. It has very large, 1-inch-long ears that connect at the base across the forehead. The snout has large, prominent lumps above the nostrils. These particular bats feed on moths and other insects; they forage along forest edges.