Bats as State Symbols

The Hawaiian Hoary Bat will be named the official state land mammal of Hawaii.

http://www.batcon.org/resources/media-education/news-room/gen-news/80-latest-news/908-hawaiian-hoary-bat-to-be-named-official-state-land-mammal

This change brings the total number of states that have a bat as some sort of state symbol to four; Texas, Virginia, and Oklahoma have a designated flying mammal. In 1995, Texas was the first state to declare an official state flying mammal. The Mexican free-tailed bat (an alternative name for the Brazilian free-tailed bat) was designated the Texas flying mammal because they are important to the health of ecosystems and eat lots of crop pests.