Holy discovery Batman!  The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with Central Lakes College, has discovered a bat species new to Minnesota, the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis).

Prior to this discovery, cental Iowa had been the the previous range for this species of bat.  The DNR says that mammal species new to the state are extremely rare, with the most recent being a shrew in 1991.

The evening bat was caught in early July at the Minnesota Army National Guard’s Training Site in Arden Hills. Researchers from the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program and Central Lakes College were conducting a survey as part of the three-year project to study summer breeding habits of the state’s forest bats.

Welcome to Minnesota, Nycticeius humeralis!

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