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Got a question for Ask MDC? Send it to AskMDC@mdc.mo.gov or call 573-522-4115, ext. 3848.

Q: Are red bats rare in Missouri?

Eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are not rare in Missouri. One of 14 species of bats that occur in the state, eastern red bats are present in Missouri year-round. Like birds, they migrate north in the spring and summer and south in the winter. They hibernate in leaf litter and hollow trees of southfacing slopes in the southern half of Missouri during the winter.

They maintain body temperatures just above freezing and cannot withstand prolonged periods of below-freezing temperatures. By spring, many have depleted fat reserves and lost a quarter of their pre-hibernation weight. Because of their migratory nature, they’re not thought to spend much time in caves at all.

For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4TF.

Q: We found a baby snapping turtle. What should we do?

The best thing to do is leave this turtle where you found it. Snapping turtles have developed adaptations to survive Missouri’s cold winter temperatures. They overwinter in water by burying themselves into the mud bottom, underneath logs and sticks, and within overhanging banks of ponds, lakes, swamps, marshes, or river backwaters.