Hawaiian Hoary Bat

Halloween is around the corner. What better time is there to learn about Hawaii's only endemic land mammal, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat or ʻōpeʻapeʻa?

I love following the HVNPS and all the good work they do. The last time I visited Kilauea, I was alarmed by the spread of Rapid 'Ohi'a Death--I saw 'apapane, but no 'i'iwi. Learn more about Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park at https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm and follow them on Instagram at hawaiivolcanoesnps (https://www.instagram.com/hawaiivolcanoesnps/).

Meet the ‘Ōpe’ape’a—Official State Land Mammal of the state of Hawai’i! About 10,000 years ago, a relative of the modern North American Hoary Bat crossed some 2,300 miles of ocean to the Hawaiian islands by the strength of its own leathery wings, becoming the only endemic land mammal in the state of Hawai’i…and then proceeded to shrink! This bat is now 30-40% smaller than the mainland species, with males weighing a meager 15-18g. And yet the ‘Ōpe’ape’a will fly more than 12 miles one-way in the course of a single night—that’s quite a distance for a 13-in. wingspan! Photos courtesy of Bryant Olsen and F. Bonaccorso #BatWeek #NPSbats #HVNP100

A photo posted by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (@hawaiivolcanoesnps) on Oct 25, 2016 at 1:58pm PDT

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