- (a) The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is a species of mouse-eared bat found throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.
- (b) Bats are the only flying mammals. The Big Brown Bat can fly up to 40 miles per hour, one of the fastest bats.
- (c) The Big Brown Bat is considered large for an American bat, and has a wingspan of 12-16 inches and a weight of 14-21 grams. A big brown bat can live up to 18-20 years in the wild.
- (d) The Big Brown Bat uses echolocation to forage for insects, preferring to eat beetles with its jaws that can chew through the hard exoskeletons, but also eating a variety of other insects including moths, flies, wasps, and flying ants that they capture in flight.
- (e) The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is hereby designated the official state mammal of the District of Columbia.
History
Dec. 23, 2020, D.C. Law 23-160, § 2