In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Image courtesy of United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Ozark big-eared bat Plecotus townsendii
Description:The Ozark big-eared bat is one of five subspecies of P. townsendii that acquired their name due to their extremely large ears. In relation to their body size at 3.8 inches long, their ears (over 1 inch long) appear almost comically big. The Ozark big-eared bat weighs 0.2-0.5 ounces, has light to dark brown hair (with white underparts) and a distinctive facial gland on either side of its snout.
Habitat:The habitat of the Ozark big-eared bat is within the karst caves of oak-hickory forests. These bats live in caves at temperatures ranging from 40 to 59 degrees F (depending on hibernation and life stage), but forage for moths and other insects along the edges of the oak-hickory forests.
Distribution:The bat is known to occur in Oklahoma in Adair, Cherokee, and Sequoyah counties and in Arkansas in Crawford, Franklin, Marion, and Washington counties. The bat is suspected to occur in several additional counties in northwest Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Status:Federally endangered (1979). There is a recovery plan in place for this species.
These bats are in decline due to extreme sensitivity to human disturbance. Identification and protection of maternity and hibernation caves is vital to the recovery of this species.
Ozark Folk Center State Park, image courtesy of Arkansas State Parks
The Ozarks region spans much of Arkansas, Missouri and the eastern counties of Oklahoma, and is typified by pristine lakes, acres of old-growth forests, and hilly terrain.The photo to the left depicts the typical landscape found in the Ozarks region. The three distinct mountain ranges in the Ozarks region are the Ouachita, Boston, and St. Francois Mountains. The landscape is almost entirely forested, with steep hillsides, fast-flowing streams, and unique limestone formations, known as karst formations. The karst formations include many prominent caves, sinkholes, and springs which provide rare habitat for plants and wildlife and places of interest for visitors. The Ozarks region has over 6.5 million acres of public lands and waters, including 65 state parks, 3 national forests, and many wildlife and wilderness conservation areas. Due to the natural beauty of this region, rapid population growth has occurred over the last two decades and natural resource managers must balance the growing demand for recreation and development with protection of the unique biodiversity represented in the region.
The Ozarks Ecosystem
Karst cave formations in Arkansas, image courtesy of US Forest Service
The Ozarks represent a unique and valuable ecological region within CSWGCIN. The region is predominantly forested (64% of total area) and comprised largely of oak-hickory and oak-pine forest. The other 36% of the region is comprised of a mix of grasslands, woodlands, savannas, caves, streams, springs, ponds, wetlands, and urban landscapes. This area contains over 200,000 acres of old-growth forest. Existing forested regions offer large contiguous forest patches with low fragmentation, thus representing significant value to wildlife. The caves found in this region are also important wildlife habitat, with the karst formations providing rare habitat. There are 16 federally threatened or endangered terrestrial animal and plant species in the Ozarks region, five of which are cave-dwellers. Additionally, 35 terrestrial species in the region have been designated as "imperiled" (20 or fewer known populations) or "critically imperiled" (5 or fewer known populations) by the U.S. Forest Service.
Ecological Concerns
The Ozarks contain several large distinct, unfragmented, forested patches. However, the lowland areas that connect the large patches are being compromised by urban development, threatening existing habitat corridors. Additionally, habitat along rivers (riparian habitat) is threatened in this region due to land conversion, logging, grazing, and fire suppression. Many invasive species in this area may also threaten forest habitat and resources. These threats include the European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), knapweeds (Centaurea sp.), and purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).
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