Bats and the Environment

(Click the pic...no snarling toothy bats on my page! And no, she is not wearing mascara...)

Bats are an extremely important link in environmental and economic chains. A single bat can consume 600 to 1000 insects in only one hour of nightly feeding; they feed for several hours each night. Millions of tons of insects become food for bats annually in the US. With over one million bats already dead from this disease in the eastern US, and 2010 bat populations showing declining numbers, there will be an impact on insect populations. Many of the insects bats eat are harmful to crops and forests. Increased populations of these insects are likely to cause increased damage to agricultural and forest vegetation . . . or we will see an increase in toxic pesticide use to control them.

Insect control is only one benefit we receive from bats. Bat guano forms the lowest level of support for other unique cave life forms. Bats themselves are food for owls, hawks and other predators. It's all about interdependence.

Baby Bats
Last week I noticed a solitary little Indiana brown bat sleeping in the corner of an ell on a porch. (See picture) Every spring, I anticipate the return of little guys, and they always arrive just about the time the mosquitoes drive me crazy. This is the only bat I've seen this year so far. I'll be out looking in the hickory trees this weekend, now that the long string of rainy days is over.

Indiana bats mate in the fall, and the females store the sperm through the winter hibernation. In the spring they ovulate and become pregnant. (Remember, bats are mammals.) Each mother has only one pup each year. Groups of females move to trees, where the pups are born and cared for for about a month. These groups of mothers and pups are called maternity colonies, or maternity roosts. Shagbark hickory trees are perfect places to raise pups. The mothers roost under the curling, shaggy strips of bark, using a strip as a little protective roof. The pup clings under the roof while Mom darts in and out all night, eating insects herself, and returning to nurse her pup. When the pup is old enough, the mother takes the pup for a ride on her back to teach it to fly. It's difficult to see this at night, but the pups sometimes make squeaking noises, so if you listen, you can hear where to look for them. Sometimes they make it to another tree, and sometimes the pup flaps away on its own wings in mid-air.

The best part about weaning the pups is that instantly the number of insectivore bats doubles.

Good-bye, mosquitoes.

The US Fish & Wildlife link below takes you to a fantastic classroom activity book and curriculum, 157 downloadable, free pdf pages filled with all kinds of fun stuff.

Sources:
Personal Experience
Bat Conservation: Species Profiles and Pictures, http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/species-profiles.html?country=43&state=all&family=all&start=25
US Fish & Wildlife Service: Kids and Teachers Info http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/curriculum/index.html