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Although they once numbered in the millions, the endangered Indiana Bat population has
declined 56% in the past 40 years. It was listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act
in 1967. This bat hibernates in limestone caves, called hibernacula, from mid-autumn to early
spring. The bats cluster together in the same area of a cave, which may protect them from
temperature changes and other disturbances. The roosts are usually in the coldest part of the
cave, which ensures the lowering of the bat's metabolic rate, thereby making fat reserves last the
whole six-month hibernation.
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