Black-grass vs Cluster Bat

Alopecurus myosuroides compared with Myotis sodalis

Key Differences

Black-grass is Least Concern while Cluster Bat is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-grass	Cluster Bat
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Alopecurus	Myotis
Species	Alopecurus myosuroides	Myotis sodalis

Conservation Status

Black-grass

LC — Least Concern

Cluster Bat

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-grass	Cluster Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-grass

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and montane grasslands and shrublands within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan, Jordan, Taiwan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Chile, Peru).

Cluster Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Black-grass

The Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides) is a species in the genus Alopecurus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and montane grasslands and shrublands within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Cluster Bat

Myotis sodalis, the Indiana bat or cluster bat, is a medium-sized insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae endemic to the eastern United States. It is one of the most endangered bats in North America, listed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The species is named for its behavior of clustering in extremely dense hibernation groups—sometimes thousands of bats per square meter—in specific limestone caves and mines during winter. These few critical hibernacula make the species extremely vulnerable to disturbance and disease. Since 2007, Indiana bats have suffered severe mortality from white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans that disrupts hibernation and causes mass starvation. During summer, Indiana bats roost under loose bark of dead trees and forage for insects over forested landscapes and riparian areas. Foraging individuals consume moths, beetles, and flying insects. Conservation efforts include cave gate protection, white-nose syndrome research, and summer habitat management on public and private lands across the eastern US.