Tennessee’s Rafinesque’s big-eared bat records concentrate in the far west, in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain around Reelfoot Lake State Park, Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, and Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. These bottomland hardwood forests still hold the large hollow trees this bat depends on.
Ears built for gleaning
This bat doesn’t chase insects through open air. It flies close to leaves and bark, plucking moths and other insects directly off vegetation, guided by ears nearly as long as its body is wide. By day, it roosts inside hollow trees or in the quiet corners of old cabins and outbuildings.
Records track survey effort, not numbers
Tennessee’s 42 records run through most months but bunch up in July and September, which likely tracks when observers and researchers are out looking rather than a true seasonal shift in the bat’s habits. Losing the big old hollow trees these bats roost in remains the bigger long-term concern for the species here.
