Team ʻŌpeʻapeʻa

The objective of Team 'Ōpe'ape'a is to expose students to bat research and provide experiences that elevate connections to the ʻāina and each other.

Found in Hawaii and nowhere else in the world
Protected at the State & Federal level
In 1970 the bat was listed as one of the endangered species under the endangered species conservation act of 1969, which was later replaced by the endangered species act of 1973
Currently at risk from mortality at wind energy facilities.

First arrived in Hawaii 1.35 million years ago, before Big Island had formed [1]
Migrating mainland hoary bats blown off course by prevailing winds flew 2,200 miles from California.
Traveling at 30mph this would have taken 4 days & nights of non-stop flying! [2]
Two-tickets to paradise -- genetic data shows that mainland hoary bats have colonized hawaii on two separate occasions [3]
No other land mammal has made it to Hawaii without the help of humans

ʻŌpeʻapeʻa means "half-leaf" because the wing resembles the bottom of a taro leaf, the thick veins in the leaf resemble the bat's fingers.

"Hoary" describes the bats silver-tipped fur, like hoar frost on trees.

The ʻōpeʻapeʻa have reddish brown coats that are sometimes tipped with white. This coloring can be symbolic of Mauna Kea covered in snow

The ʻōpeʻapeʻa mostly eats moths and beetles, but more research is needed to see what species are important.
Bats can eat 1/2 their body weight in insects each night
While many tropical bats eat fruit, this isn't part of the ʻōpeʻapeʻa diet

While many bats live in caves, ʻōpeʻapeʻa prefer trees, bats hide in the leaves for protection.

Nuclear and mtDNA phylogenetic analyses clarify the evolutionary history of two species of native Hawaiian bats and the taxonomy of Lasiurini (Mammalia: Chiroptera) Baird AB, Braun JK, Engstrom MD, Holbert AC, Huerta MG, et al. (2017) Nuclear and mtDNA phylogenetic analyses clarify the evolutionary history of two species of native Hawaiian bats and the taxonomy of Lasiurini (Mammalia: Chiroptera). PLOS ONE 12(10): e0186085. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186085
Modeling the Colonization of Hawaii by Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus). Bat Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. Bonaccorso, Frank & McGuire, Liam. (2013). 187-205.
Two Tickets to Paradise: Multiple Dispersal Events in the Founding of Hoary Bat Populations in Hawai'i Russell AL, Pinzari CA, Vonhof MJ, Olival KJ, Bonaccorso FJ (2015) Two Tickets to Paradise: Multiple Dispersal Events in the Founding of Hoary Bat Populations in Hawai'i. PLOS ONE 10(6): e0127912. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127912