On Wednesday, Gov. David Ige is expected to sign Senate Bill 1183, which will designate the bat, also called ōpe‘ape‘a, as Hawaii’s official state land mammal.

In a news release issued Monday by Sen. Sam Slom’s office, the state lawmaker (R, Diamond Head, Kahala, Hawaii Kai) said: “The ōpe‘ape‘a is worthy of the title” because“ it has been here for so long, and faithfully provides free pest control services to us all. Most importantly, this bipartisan effort to elevate the bat’s status to state land mammal will increase awareness of the environmental issues affecting its survival.”

The Nature Conservancy has pointed out that the ōpe‘ape‘a is remarkable in that it flew 2,500 miles from North America to the most isolated islands in the Pacific, and manage to thrive. Fossils indicate that the bat was present in Hawaii 10,000 years ago.

In its testimony on the measure, the Nature Conservancy said, “The Hawaiian hoary bat is truly a wonder. It can fly. It can echolocate. It has the ability to enter torpor (a limited hibernation) to cope with periods of food (i.e., insect) shortages or inclement weather.”  

Here are some additional facts about the bat.

>> It’s Hawaii’s only native land mammal, and is a subspecies found only in Hawaii.

>> While nocturnal, there’s no evidence of vampirical activity in the species. 

>> It eats mosquitoes, moths, beetles, termites, flies and other insects. A single Hawaiian hoary bat can consume 40 percent of its body weight in bugs in a single night.   

>> It’s listed as an endangered species. Deforestation and collision with structures such as wind turbines and barbed wire fences pose a threat to the population.

>> The bat uses echolocation to hunt, meaning it creates ultrasonic pulses in its throat and emits them through its mouth or nose. The pulses then bounce off insect prey, transmitting the location of the prey to the bat.

>> The bat can fly up to 60 mph and is one of few animals capable of sustained flight.