The Indiana bat is a small, insectivorous, migratory bat that hibernates colonially in caves and mines in the winter. The species was originally listed as in danger of extinction under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 and is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.

The scientific name of the Indiana bat is Myotis sodalis. Myotis means “mouse ear” and refers to the relatively small, mouse-like ears of the bats in this genus. Sodalis is the Latin word for “companion” and is a reference to the very social nature of the species.

Indiana bats are colonial both in summer and in winter. During hibernation, clusters of up to 500 bats per square foot form in the hibernacula. The species is called the Indiana bat because the first specimen described to science in 1928 was based on a specimen found in southern Indiana’s Wyandotte Cave.

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The 2019 winter census estimate of the population was 537,297 bats occurring within 223 hibernacula in 16 states. The current population has declined by half compared to when the species was listed as endangered.