A Noteworthy Longevity Record for Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)

Authors: Laurie Lomas Gonzales, Krysta D. Demere

Longevity records have been published for many species of North American bats. However, few such records exist for Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii (Jones and Suttkus et al., 1975; Paradiso and Greenhall, 1967), a species found throughout bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern United States (Ammerman et al., 2012). An adult female that was captured in West Virginia, 10 years and 1 month after banding, represents the longest-lived C. rafinesquii (Paradiso and Greenhall, 1967). The second-oldest individual in the peer-reviewed literature appears to be an adult male banded and later recaptured in Louisiana at a minimal age of 7 years and 7 months (Jones and Suttkus, 1975). Herein, we report a noteworthy longevity record for C. rafinesquii, based on an animal from Texas.