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Whitaker, John
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D., Cornell University
Phone: 812-237-2383 
E-mail: John.Whitaker@indstate.edu
Office: Science Building 343
Research Interests: vertebrate ecology; mammalogy, natural history.
The main thrust of Dr. Whitaker's research is the ecology of small mammals and their parasites. Whitaker has made detailed studies on food habits of mammalian species and has discovered many ectoparasites not previously known to science. Currently, Dr. Whitaker is involved in studies of the interrelationships of ectoparasite communities of bats.
By John O. Whitaker
Dr. Whitaker is the author of the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to North American Mammals.
View Complete Publications Listing Here
Copies of Out-of-Print Publications Available for Download Here (In PDF Format)
Selected Publications
In press. Judy, D. J., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., D. W. Sparks, and C. M. Ritzi. Unusual migratory behavior by an Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. Accepted.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. White Nose Syndrome: a killer of bats in the northeastern United States. McGraw-Hill 2010 Yearbook of Science and Technology.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and C. Ruckdeschel. Are there chiggers (Trombiculidae) in Spanish moss? Sent to Southeastern Naturalist 7 April 2008. Accepted 30 Sept. 2008.
In press. Valdez, E. W., C. M. Ritzi, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Ectoparasites of the occult bat, Myotis occultus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Western North American Naturalist. Page proofs seen 3 March 2009.
In press. Lewis, J. J., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and G. W. Krantz. A biological reconnaissance of the invertebrate fauna of twelve Tennessee caves, with notes on the guanophilic mites of the genus Macrocheles. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science. Accepted 5 Dec. 2008, 28 May 2009.
In press. Sparks, D. W., V. Brack, Jr., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and R. Lotspeich. Reconciliation ecology and the Indiana bat at the Indianapolis International Airport. Chapter in Airports: Performance, Risks and Problems. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Hauppauge, N.Y. __ pp. Saw page proofs.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Jumping mice, birchmice and jerboas. New Encyclopedia of Mammals.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Field Guide to Indiana Mammals. Indiana University Press. Bloomington. 2008.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., C. M. Ritzi, and C. W. Dick. Collecting and preserving bat ectoparasites for ecological study. Chapter 40 In: T. W. Kunz and S. Parsons, Eds. Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats. Second Ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Tentative publication date, June 2009.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., G. F. McCracken and B. Siemers. Food habits analysis of insectivorous bats. Chapter 27 In: T. H. Kunz and S. Parsons, Eds. Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats. Second Ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Tentative publication date, June 2009.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and Donald McFarlane. Cave Bats. In: Guidelines for the Protection of Subterranean and Karst Biodiversity.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and Scott Gardner. Endoparasites of bats. Chapter in book being edited by Susan Barnard.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and L. Castor. Identification of insect parts in bat guano. Chapter in book being edited by Susan Barnard.
In press. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Ectoparasites of bats. Chapter in book being edited by Susan Barnard.
2009. Feldhamer, G. A., T. C. Carter, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Prey consumed by eight species of insectivorous bats from southern Illinois. American Midland Naturalist 162: 43-51.
2009. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and C. Ruckdeschel. Food of Amphiuma means from Cumberland Island, Georgia. Herpetological Review 40: 154-156.
2009. Ruckdeschel, C., and J .O. Whitaker, Jr. The American Kestrel on Cumberland Island, Georgia. The Oriole 72: 8-11.
2009. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., C. Ruckdeschel, and A. V. Bochkov. Species of the genus Schizocarpus Trouessart, 1896 (Acari: Chirodiscidae) from Florida and Georgia beavers. Florida Scientist 72: 18-21.
2009. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and R. E. Mumford. Mammals of Indiana. Indiana University Press. Bloomington. 661 pp.
2008. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and D. W. Sparks. Roosts of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) near the Indianapolis International Airport, 1997-2001. Proc. Indiana Acad. Sci. 117: 193-202.
2008. Storm, J. J., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Prey selection of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) during an emergence of 17-year cicadas (Magicicada spp.). American Midland Naturalist 160: 350-357.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Shrews. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 16: 448-449.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Muskrat. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 11: 562-563.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Moles. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 11: 316-317.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Mice and rats. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 11: 60-66.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Bats. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 4: 98-102.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Armadillos. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Vol. 2: 191-192.
2007. Storm, J. J., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Food habits of mammals during an emergence of 17-year cicadas (Magicicada spp.). Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 116: 196-199.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., S. L. Veilleux, J. Duchamp, M. Griswold, and D. Rees. Fishes of lower Prairie Creek area, Vigo County, Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 116: 184-195.
2007. Kurta, A., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., W. J. Wrenn, and J. A. Soto-Centeno. Ectoparasitic assemblages on mormoopid bats (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae) from Puerto Rico. Journal of Medical Entomology 44: 953-958.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., B. L. Walters, L. K. Castor, C. M. Ritzi, and N. Wilson. Host and distribution lists of mites (Acari), parasitic and phoretic, in the hair or on the skin of North American wild mammals north of Mexico: records since 1974. Faculty Publications from the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. 173 pp. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/parasitologyfacpubs/1.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., B. L. Walters, and S. Johnson. Terrestrial mammals of the Naval Support Activity (NSA Crane) in Martin County, and of the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Glendora Site) in Sullivan County, Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 116: 84-89.
2007. Vincent, E. A., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Hibernation of the eastern pipistrelle, Perimyotis subflavus, in an abandoned mine in Vermillion County, Indiana, with some information on Myotis lucifugus. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 116: 58-65.
2007. Eidels, R. R, J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and D. W. Sparks. Insecticide residues in bats and guano from Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 116: 50-57.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., J. B. Cope, D. W. Sparks, V. Brack, Jr., and S. Johnson. Bats of Indiana. Publication no. 1, ISU Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation. Indiana State University. 59 pp.
2007. Dunbar, M. B., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and L. W. Robbins. Winter feeding by bats in southwestern Missouri. Acta Chiropterologica 9: 305-322.
2007. Boyles, J. G., B. L. Walters, J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and J. B. Cope. A reanalysis of apparent survival rates of Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis). Acta Chiropterologica 9: 127-132.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., M. Brooks, L. Scott, L. S. Finn, and C. L. Smith. Food habits of Rafinesque’s big-eared bat from Florida. Florida Scientist 70: 202-206.
2007. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Ectoparasites of North American aquatic rodents and comparison to European forms. Acarina 14: 137-145.
2007. Kurta, A., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Range expansion and changing abundant of the eastern pipistrelle (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the central Great Lakes region. American Midland Naturalist 157: 404-411.
2007. Walters, B. L., C. M. Ritzi, D. W. Sparks, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Foraging behavior of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) at an urban-rural interface. American Midland Naturalist 157: 365-373.
2007. Deunff, J., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and A. Kurta. Description of Cameronieta torrei dusbabeki (Acari: Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae), new subspecies with nymphs, parasitizing Pteronotus quadridens fuliginosus (Chiroptera, Mormoopidae) from Puerto Rico. Journal of Medical Entomology 44: 179-185.
2006. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. Small mammals of the Wabash River Bottoms. Proceedings Indiana Academy of Science 115: 149-155.
2006. Karns, D. R., D. G. Ruch, R. Brodman, M. T. Jackson, P. E. Rothrock, P. Scott, T. P. Simon, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Results of a short-term bioblitz of the aquatic and terrestrial habiats of Otter Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. Proceedings Indiana Academy of Science 115: 82-88.
2006. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and L. R. Douglas. Bat rabies in Indiana. Journal of Wildlife Management 70: 1569-1573.
2006. Boyles, J. G., M. B. Dunbar, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Activity following arousal in winter in North American vespertilionid bats. Mammal Review 3: 267-280.
2006. Marion Thomas Jackson: A lifelong naturalist, conservationist, and educator. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 115: 60-72.
2006. Brack, V., Jr., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. 2006. The Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) on an anthropogenic landscape: Newport Chemical Depot, Vermillion County, Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 115: 44-52.
2006. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and C. Ruckdeschel. Food of the southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis) on Cumberland Island, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 5: 361-366.
2006. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., D. W. Sparks, and V. Brack, Jr. Use of artificial roost structures by bats at the Indianapolis International Airport. Environmental Management 38: 28-36.
2006. Walters, B. L., D. W. Sparks, J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and C. M. Ritzi. Timing of migration by eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) through central Indiana. Acta Chiropterologica 8: 259-263.
2006. Sullivan, J. C., K. J. Buscetta, R. H. Michener, J. O. Whitaker, Jr., J. R. Finnerty, and T. H. Kunz. Models developed from *13C and *15N of skin tissue indicate non-specific habitat use by the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Ecoscience 13: 11-22.
2005. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and R. L. Richards. Shrews of Indiana, Late Pleistocene to present. Pp. 9-29 In: Advances in the Biology of Shrews II (Eds. J. F. Merritt, S. Churchfield, R. Hutterer, and B. A. Sheftel). 468 pp. Powdermill Research Station, Carnegie Museum.
2005. Schmidt-French, B., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Acquisition of foraging behavior and insect preferences by naïve juvenile red bats (Lasiurus borealis). Acta Chiropterologica 7: 314-318.
2005. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., C. L. Gummer, A. Howard, W. A. Ulrey, and Virgil Brack, Jr. Bats of Camp Atterbury in south central Indiana. Proceedings Indiana Academy of Science 114: 216-223.
2005. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and J. B. Morales-Malacara. Ectoparasites of mammals of Mexico. Pp. 535-680 in Contribuciones Mastozoológicas en Homenaje a Bernardo Villa. Edited by V. Sánchez-Cordero and Rodrigo A. Medellín. Instituto de Biología, UNAM; Instituto de Ecología, UNAM; Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad.
2005. Sparks, D. W., J. O., Whitaker, Jr., and C. M. Ritzi. Foraging ecology of the endangered Indiana bat. Pp. 15-27 in: Proceedings of Indiana Bat and Coal Mining: A Technical Interactive Forum. Eds. K. C. Vories and A. Harrington.
2005. Sparks, D. W., C. M. Ritzi, J. E. Duchamp, and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Foraging habitat of the Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) at an urban-rural interface. Journal of Mammalogy 86: 713-718.
2005. Hagele, T., B. Kaufman, J. O. Whitaker, Jr., and H. Klompen. The genus Euryparasitus in North America (Mesostigmata: Euryparasitidae). Zootaxa 1036: 1-20.
2005. Webster, J. M., and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Guano communities of big brown bat colonies in Indiana and neighboring Illinois counties. Northeastern Naturalist 12: 221-232.
2005. Ritzi, C. M., B. L. Everson and J. O. Whitaker, Jr. Use of bat boxes by a maternity colony of Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis). Northeastern Naturalist 12: 217-220.
2005. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., and Susan M. Barnard. Food of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) from a colony at Morrow, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 4:111-118.
Whitaker, J. O. 2004. Prey selection in a temperate zone insectivorous bat community. Journal of Mammalogy 85: 460-469.
Duchamp, J. E., D. W. Sparks, and J. O. Whitaker. 2004. Foraging-habitat selection by bats at an urban-rural interface: comparison between a successful and a less successful species. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82: 1157-1164.
Veilleux, J. P., J. O. Whitaker, and S. L. Veilleux. 2004. Reproductive stage influences roost use by tree roosting female eastern pipistrelles, Pipistrellus subflavus. Ecoscience 11: 249-256.
ter Hofstede, H. M., M. B. Fenton, and J. O. Whitaker. 2004. Host and host-site specificity of bat flies (Diptera : Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) on Neotropical bats (Chiroptera). Canadian Journal of Zoology 82: 616-626.
Veilleux, J. P., J. O. Whitaker, and S. L. Veilleux. 2003. Tree-roosting ecology of reproductive female eastern pipistrelles, Pipistrellus subflavus, in Indiana. Journal of Mammalogy 84: 1068-1075.
Ritzi, C. M., and J. O. Whitaker. 2003. Ectoparasites of small mammals from the Newport Chemical Depot, Vermillion County, Indiana. Northeastern Naturalist 10: 149-158.
Whitaker, J. O., and Y. Yom-Tov. 2002. The diet of some insectivorous bats from northern Israel. Mammalian Biology 67: 378-380.
Whitaker, J. O., and G. F. McCracken. 2001. Food and ectoparasites of bats on the Galapagos Islands. Acta Chiropterologica 3: 63-69.
Whitaker, J. O. and S. L. Gummer. 2000. Population structure and dynamics of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) hibernating in buildings in Indiana. American Midland Naturalist 143: 389-396.