A little brown bat

You probably wouldn't expect to see a little brown bat in February unless you went inside a cave. Bats are usually seen flying in the shadowy, early morning, dimming light before sundown and during overcast days with poor visibility.

Little brown bats fly when they are searching for flying insects. Insects don't fly when temperatures are below freezing. This is one reason why bats in Southeast Missouri have evolved to not fly during cold winter days.

So how did I end up with this photo during February? A friend of mine visited a friend of hers and photographed this little brown bat hibernating on fireplace rocks inside the house. The nail stuck in the mortar joint is a 3 1/2-inch, 16 penny nail. This indicates the smallness of the little brown bat. Bats are mammals.