HOARY BAT

(Lasiurus cinereus), migratory North American bat, family Vespertilionidae, found in wooded areas from Canada to Mexico. It is about 1314 centimetres (55 1/2 inches) long, including a 56-cm tail, and weighs about 30 grams (1 ounce). Its thick, yellowish or reddish brown fur is tipped, or frosted, with silver. A strong-flying, solitary insect-eater, the hoary bat roosts in trees, where the colour of its fur blends with that of lichen-covered bark. A similar bat, possibly a race of L. cinereus, lives in the Hawaiian Islands.