24) ~ Hawaiian Hoary Bat~

More about 24) ~ Hawaiian Hoary Bat~

**Hawaiian Hoary Bat - Lasiurus cinereus semotus

Short: The only native land mammal of Hawai‘i, this solitary, insect-eating bat roams from sea level to mountain forests. Populations are declining due to habitat loss, collision with wind turbines, and predation.

Facts:

Habitat: Native and mixed forests across Hawaiian Islands; roosts in trees, not caves.

Diet: Insects such as moths, beetles, and mosquitoes.

Threats: Deforestation, collisions with wind turbines, pesticide use, and predation by cats and barn owls.

Status: Endangered (Hawaiian subspecies).


Details:
The Hawaiian Hoary Bat, locally known as ʻŌpeʻapeʻa, is a mysterious nocturnal guardian of the island skies - small, silver-furred, and swift. Its wings slice through the humid dusk air as it hunts by echolocation, a living echo of a time before humans reached these volcanic isles. Unlike other bats, it prefers solitude, roosting among high branches where mist gathers.

Females give birth to twins - a rarity among bats during the warm Hawaiian summer, nurturing them in hidden forest canopies. Its silvery fur, tipped with white, shimmers faintly in moonlight, giving rise to its name “hoary.”

2025 November 06