Great Evening Bat

The great evening bat reaches a length of 90–105 mm (3.5–4.1 in). It is brown on top and greyish underneath. The average wingspan is 51 cm (20 in) and it typically weighs 58 g (2.0 oz). Not much is known about its habits and behaviour. The bat usually lives in small groups. Its food consists of insects during the summer, as with most vesper bats. The great evening bat also sometimes feeds on small birds during the autumn once insects become scarcer. The bat leaves its sleeping place in the late afternoon in search of food. During the winter months it may migrate to warmer regions. The great evening bat's constant shifting diet makes it a suitable host for viruses. Due to the switch from insects during the summer to birds during autumn, the great evening bat is known to carry around 35 known virus families.