Virginia Big-Eared Bat
This medium-sized bat was historically found in Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. It was listed as endangered in 1979, when there were were an estimated 3,500 left in the wild; while the bat remains on the Endangered Species List, its numbers have rebounded to around 20,000, thanks in large part to conservation efforts.
Bats in general remain some of the most threatened species in North America. More than half of the U.S.’s 40 bat species are at risk as human interference shrinks their habitat and diseases cuts their numbers further.
