An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Twenty-seven small mammal species are known to occur in Kentucky. This number is based on a statewide small mammal survey conducted by KDFWR that began in 1988 to determine the distribution of all small mammals in KY. The survey utilized pitfall, bottle, and snap traps placed in a variety of habitats on public and private lands. This comprehensive survey produced over 9000 specimens and determined that the Northern Short-tailed shrew was the most widely distributed small mammal in the state. Species with extremely limited distributions included the Southern Short-tailed Shrew, Southern Red-backed Vole, Allegheny Woodrat, Marsh Rice Rat, Cotton Mouse, Hispid Cotton Rat, Masked Shrew, and the Long-tailed Shrew.
One mammal species is endemic to Kentucky, meaning it is found nowhere else in the world. The Kentucky red-backed vole, a subspecies of the Southern red-backed vole, is currently known only from portions of eastern Kentucky and is one of Kentucky’s species of greatest conservation need.
Bats Are Flying Rodents
FACT: Bats are actually more closely related to primates than rodents. They are generally long-lived and most only have one young per year.
Bats Are Blind
FACT: Bats can see as well as most other mammals but most rely more on a sophisticated sonar system, echolocation, to get around and capture prey.
Bats Attack Humans
FACT: A bat may swoop towards you in pursuit of prey but echolocation allows them to be very accurate flyers and avoid obstacles, including your hair.
All Bats Drink Blood
FACT: Only vampire bats feed on blood. Of the 1300+ bat species found worldwide, just three species are vampire bats. They are found only in Mexico, Central America and South America.
All bats carry rabies
FACT: Like other mammals, bats can contract rabies but less than one half of one percent do.
Bats are dirty animals
FACT: Like cats, bats are constantly grooming themselves to keep clean.
For information on rabies and histoplasmosis, see "Do bats pose a human health concern?"
If you have found an injured or sick bat, please ensure no children, pets or other animals can come into contact with it. Due to WNS, we are tracking reports of bats through our Report a Bat form.
If the bat is on the ground and does not appear to be injured, you can cover it with a small box (shoebox size) and use a flat piece of cardboard to slip between the ground and the bat. Once the bat is secure in the box, you can then find a tree to place the bat on without handling it. If the bat is still there after 24 hours, please use the Report a Bat Form.
In many cases, a bat removed from the wild does not live long. Not only is the practice detrimental to the bat, holding bats in captivity is against the law. 301 KAR 2:081 prohibits holding native bats as pets.
The Scientific and Educational Collecting Permit authorizes the collecting and holding, even temporarily, of wildlife for zoological, educational or scientific purposes. Go to the Scientific and Educational Collecting page for more information and to download the application.