A bat a day for October (4): Allen's Big Eared Bat.

I must say, I am a huge fan of big-eared bats. This is far from the only species who's primary trait is having enormous ears.

This feels like a great segway to mention: bat aren't blind. It's not poor vision, either.
I feel that this information has generally became more common knowledge over the years.

But what's often undersold is that they don't just utilize echolocation and eyesight, but are also super nimble flyers, and will use their wings to sweep food like giant hands... Because they /are/ giant hands.

Their mammal category, Chiroptera, literally means “hand wing".

They've really got everything going for them. Makes sense; insects are quite the target.

As for the Allen's Big Eared bat itself, it's poorly documented.

But it's got a wingspan of 12-14" (Stokes beginner guide to bats)
1-1.5" inch ears and a lifespan of 1-3 years (Nevada Department Of Wildlife)

https://www.ndow.org/species/allens-big-eared-bat/

I have used this image on the first big-eared bat I posted, because it's a great example of a bat folding it's ears back.

You would likely see this when they are roosting, as long as they aren't actively trying to be alert.

Allen's Big Eared with ears folded back. Reminds me of a ram.

The range of these bats.

Other bats:
Hoary Bat https://imgur.com/gallery/nfg7Uws
Brazilian Free-tailed https://imgur.com/gallery/PWNDEyn

Yellow-Winged https://imgur.com/gallery/QjJBJG0