Townsend's big-eared bat
species of mammal
Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) is a species of vesper bat.
Description
Townsend's big-eared bat is a medium-sized bat (7–12 g) with extremely long, flexible ears, and small yet noticeable lumps on each side of the snout. Its total length is around 10 cm (4 in.), its tail being around 5 cm (2 in) and its wingspan is about 28 cm (11 in).
The dental formula of Corynorhinus townsendii is 2.1.2.3.3.1.3.3. × 2 = 36
Range
C. townsendii can be found in Canada, Mexico, and United States. Specifically, its main range is from southern British Columbia, down the Pacific Coast and into the Great Plains as well as Central Mexico. It also has two isolated populations in central and eastern parts of the United States respectively.
A notable colony of Townsend's is the colony currently residing on Santa Cruz Island, the area the species was originally described from and the only colony known in the Channel Islands. Originally there was a Santa Cruz colony of 300 bats known to reside in a historic ranch house, which was displaced in 1974 when the building was removed. Now there is a colony known to have resided in the Scorpion adobe building from before 1991 onwards. This colony is one of few coastal colonies known south of Point Conception.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Townsend's big-eared bat” as species of mammal. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of mammal. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1190041. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1974 and 1991.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Townsend's big-eared bat” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.