This desert bat is uniquely adapted to ground-hunt prey by listening passively for the rustling sounds of scorpions, beetles, and crickets—it can find and capture prey in complete darkness without using echolocation. The pallid bat is immune to the venom of the Arizona bark scorpion and has been found to carry scorpions back to the roost. Its colonies in buildings and rock crevices emit an audible, musky odor that is distinctive in warm desert nights.
Best time to see a Pallid Bat
The best time to see a Pallid Bat is May–August, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 1,170 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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