| Common Name |
| Kingdom |
| Phylum |
| Class |
| Order |
| Family |
| Genus |
| Species |
|
| California leaf-nosed bat |
| Animalia |
| Cordata |
| Mammalia |
| Chiropotera |
| Phyllostimidae |
| Macrotus |
| californicus |
|
 |
| Natural History |
This bat roosts in caves and mines by day and hunts insects by night. Macrotus c. flies low over the ground listening for the sounds of insects crawling or calling. Their large ears help give them very
sensitive hearing and short wide wings give them very maneuverable flight. Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. The wings of bats are really highly modified hands. The elongated finger bones provide exquisite control of the flight
surfaces. Bats typically can see better than humans in low light levels. While bats contract rabies in about the same rates as other mammals, you should not touch an injured or sick bat. |
| Why this species? |
Although there are 27 other species of bats in Arizona, Macrotus californicus is found only in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. Bats provide valuable control of insects. |