The Silver-haired bat is mostly found in old-growth forests.  Its silver-frosted back helps it camouflage within the lichen-coated bark of an old-growth Douglas-fir.  It also finds refuge in the abandoned nests of woodpeckers and small mammals in the trunk of a snag (a dead standing tree). Silver-haired bats are important to the forest ecosystem for many reasons.  Since they often feed on insects that live around water, they transfer aquatic nutrients that were stored in the insects, to the inner forest through their excrement. The silver-haired bat also serves as an important regulator of pest populations, eating insects that might otherwise eat plants.  This bat is preyed upon by the spotted owl, marten, and raccoon.