Opportunistic Offshore Sighting of a Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)

Jacqueline E. Bort Thornton^1,*, Michael E. Richlen², Thaddeus B. McDonald¹, and Joel T. Bell¹

¹Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic, Norfolk, VA 23508. ²HDR, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA 23455. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 22, Issue 1 (2023): N9–N12

Abstract
During a marine mammal vessel survey, a single Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat) was sighted 103.5 km off the coast of North Carolina. While we cannot determine whether the bat flew unaided from the mainland or stowed away on a ship, this is likely the furthest offshore sighting for the species. The possibility of Tricolored Bats flying offshore could have implications for wind-energy programs or other offshore industries.

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