graveyard bat

adult male large brown bat held by adult small male human
So, instead of hunting hare, we have bat. Bats can get quite upset, and bark in irritation and distress, as did this one. A metroparks naturalist conducted a lesson in Cleveland bats at Lake View cemetery, last night. Nets in the woods caught the flyers. Tri-color (eastern pipistrelle), and large (not really very) brown bats were held captive for a few minutes.

The tri-color was a juvenile, just recently an aviatrix [this was confirmed by an examination of bones in wing], she was captured with her mother. Bats need maternal guidance, for a time. Bats may live long lives, but have a high mortality rate in the initial year. A she-bat generally gives birth to twin pups, one male and one female.

The wing examination, amongst other things, delineates the bones in the hand. The wing membrane is thin, and is easily punctured; but fast healing. Most bats are small and light. They suffer from parasites, and scars from mites are visible in the wing.

A new scourge is the white nose fungus (geomyces destructans), which is killing the bats in eastern north America. In 2004 near Albany, New York it was first seen, and its spreading. It attacks them in hibernation, and has wiped out colonies. The fungus has a similarity to athlete's foot.

US bats are insectivores. Some species gobble moths, some snack beetles, others gnats, mosquitoes and so on. Sonar location focuses the meal in flight. During the presentation, lightning bugs were visible. Kids asked whether bats eat them, the answer, in part, was have you ever tasted a firefly? they are chemically composed to taste terribly.

In Europe, there has been an organised bat night for some years now. It educates the public. Bats are having trouble. Bats fulfill a helpful rôle in nature, to the benefit of man. Folklore, superstition, and bad press has not done them well.

15th European Bat Night will take place on 27-28 August 2011.