It’s hard enough for Las Vegans to coexist with each other, but can we get along with members of the animal kingdom? As Night Week continues at City Cast Las Vegas, it’s time to show some love — and respect — for the nocturnal creatures who like to party after dark in Las Vegas.
🦇 Bats
There are 23 species of bat throughout Nevada. The canyon bat — the smallest in North America — likes to hang around places like Red Rock Canyon, while the Mexican free-tailed bat prefers to roost in large colonies in dark spaces like the tunnels of the Historic Railroad Hiking Trail overlooking Lake Mead.
In urban areas, you might notice bats flying over swimming pools and other sources of water. Sometimes it’s hard to tell a bat apart from a bird — and while an erratic flight path could be a good clue, it’s not because all bats are blind.
“ That’s an urban legend,” according to Lauren MacLeod of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “Bats have pretty good eyesight. They just don't need it as much since they use echolocation — bouncing high frequency sounds off of objects — to navigate.”
🦉 Owls
Owls love to come out at night too. In Southern Nevada, it’s common to see the large great horned owl, which has tufts of feathers that resemble horns, and the barn owl, easy to spot with a distinctive bright white face.
“Owls are known for silent flight, which helps them stealthily hunt for little rodents and other small mammals at night,” MacLeod says. “There are a few urban areas where the great horned owls tend to nest, and one of them is Floyd Lamb Park.”
🐺 Coyotes
Las Vegas has its share of coyote sightings, but the canines tend to lean towards nocturnal behavior during the heat of summer or when close to human environments. ”We see a lot more coyote activity around golf courses,” MacLeod points out. “There's trees, shade, water, rabbits and other things for them to hunt, and berries for them to eat.”
The coyotes in Las Vegas are members of the Canis latrans species, which resemble a collie and adapt well to the desert. If you encounter one, make a loud noise and display an intimidating presence to scare the animal off. It’s called hazing. “If we continue ignoring them in neighborhoods, they start to see us as less of a threat,” MacLeod says.
- Nocturnal creatures are everywhere in Las Vegas — sometimes in unlikely places, including the Luxor light beam, where bats are known to hang out. [Hey Las Vegas ✍️]
