88: Canyon bat

Bat of the Evening Star

I write to you from Arapahoe, Ute, and Cheyenne land. I am interested in learning about the different animals that live in the place where I was born. Before we start with today’s animal, I want to emphasize that biological classification as understood by western society has its roots in racism, sexism, and transphobia – here’s a good explainer about why.

The Canyon Bat has an interesting Latin name (Parastrellus Hesperus) – Hesperus, a great word, meaning the evening star, or the planet Venus at night, in Greek mythology the son of Eos and Phosphorus; the Roman equivalent is Vesper.

They are non-migratory, and make their home in the deserts of the western United States and northern Mexico. In Colorado, they occupy the dry canyonlands around the Four Corners region. They prefer to live below 5000 feet above sea level, which rules out most of the state as a home for them. During the day, they live under rock shelters, and sometimes in mines – in Colorado, they are most known from a mine near Mancos. They have also been found at Colorado National Monument and near Rio Blanco Reservoir.

This bat is the smallest that lives in the United States, with a wingspan of just around 8 inches (200 mm), weighing just about as much as a penny. Its fur can be white or pale yellow, with black skin on its face, ears, and wings. They have a delicate, fluttering flight movement, compared by some viewers to a butterfly, and can be knocked off course very easily by a gust of wind. However, this flying style is perfectly suited to hunting flying insects!

Most importantly, look at this little face: