Museum Collections
Luce Center
Hoary Bat
Object Number:
Z.3306
Date:
c. 1841
Medium:
Watercolor, pastel, and graphite with scratching out on sketchbook paper
Dimensions:
Overall: 7 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. ( 19.4 x 33.3 cm )
Marks:
inscription: brown ink l.r. " an unnatural figure/ Verpertilio priunosus/ Hoary Bat"
Inscriptions:
Inscribed at lower right of center in brown ink: "Vespertilio / priunosus / Hoary Bat"; at lower right: "an unnatural / figure"
Description:
A view of the back of a bat that Audubon called Vespertilio priunosus[?] or the hoary bat. The hoary bat is a large bat, dark and furry, with a widespread range in the western hemisphere, from Hawaii east to Iceland and south to Bermuda. Audubon's nomenclature does not match the modern terminology for this species. Formerly S-24.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.