The Large flying fox, Pteropus vampyrus, aka Malayan, Malaysian or Greater flying fox, hanging from a branch. This fruit eating bat is an importatnt pollinator of durian fruit and other fruits.

Bats are our only flying mammals, and Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz says if we are out at night this time of year, we might see bats migrating. Most Iowa bats migrate south in the fall, and some spend the winter hibernating in caves, particularly in eastern Iowa.

The Hoary Bat is Iowa’s largest bat, with a wingspan of 13-16 inches. According to Mertz, these bats undertake long seasonal migrations, sometimes traveling as far south as Panama to spend the winter before returning to Iowa in the spring. Bat migration normally begins late July through August, but there will “possibly” be more movement.