CITY ESCAPES
Nature Photography, LLC
Newsletter
October, 2012
We’re Getting Batty for Halloween!
October is when the air turns crisp, leaves begin to turn gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow that make fireworks jealous, and of course the creepy-crawlies come out for Halloween. One of our favorites of these ghoulish beings gets a bad rap – they are not at all creepy, or crawly for that matter. They are nonetheless one of the most ubiquitous symbols of Halloween: bats.
Why are bats cool? For starters, consider that bats are the only mammals that can fly. (Flying squirrels don’t actually fly – they glide. Have you ever seen one go up?) Some species are pretty good at running, too, reaching speeds of up to 4.9 miles per hour on the ground. And of the 1,105 bat species in the world, only one uses humans for food, and not very often at that. Two of the three species of vampire bats feed almost exclusively on birds, while to the third, the “evil” common vampire bat, humans are way down on its preferred meal list: it significantly prefers livestock to people. Vampire bats are also the only known bat family whose members will adopt orphaned pups, and females will often feed a new mother for up to two weeks after she gives birth (blood casserole, anyone?). Vampire bats are proving useful in medicine, as well: their saliva has been shown to help increase blood flow in stroke patients much more quickly and effectively than traditional remedies. Given that stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, we should welcome these little creatures with open arms.
If these are the worst of the bats, how can we not like the entire order?
Bats make up about a quarter of all mammalian species, and some of the differences between the species are significant. The Malayan flying fox, for example, is the largest bat species, having a six-foot wingspan, while the smallest species, the Kitty’s hog-nosed bat, has a six-inch wingspan. Some bats fly at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, while others fly at elevations up to 3000 feet. Some bats eat only fruit, while others eat impressive numbers of insects (a single bat will eat between 2000 and 6000 insects each night), and still others eat a wide variety of foods, from nectar to fish to frogs -- even birds. Most of the bats in North America are insectivorous, and they provide humans with a huge service: they eat many millions of agricultural pests and other insects such as flies and gnats nightly. Got a true blood-sucking pest, i.e. mosquitoes? Bring on the bats! Nectar-drinking bats are important to agriculture in another way: they are fantastic pollinators. Farmers of crops such as bananas, cashews, mangos, and agave rely on bats for a successful crop.
There are still many myths that cling to bats. Contrary to “common knowledge,” bats are not blind, and in fact many bat species have excellent eyesight and do not rely on echolocation to find food or their way around. Another widespread myth is that bats are frequent carriers of rabies. In truth, less than 0.5% of all bats are infected with rabies. To put that number in perspective, over the past 50 years in the United States fewer than 40 people have died from rabies contracted from a wild bat, whereas lightning has killed an average of 58 people each year.
So if we all embrace bats wholeheartedly, will their future be assured? Unfortunately, no. In large parts of their ranges in eastern North America, bats are dying by the millions due to an introduced fungal infection known as white-nose syndrome. The fungus, Geomyces destructans, which is steadily spreading westward, gets its common name from the white fuzz that grows on infected bats’ faces, especially around their muzzles. The highly contagious fungus, which kills 90% of infected bats, interrupts the bats’ hibernation by damaging their wings, causing them to awaken. This is a major problem for bats, as they must use their stored fat deposits much more quickly while awake. They end up either starving to death or freezing while searching for food in the winter. There is currently no cure, though wildlife biologists are working feverishly on several fronts to combat the disease. One of the more innovative projects involves attempting to keep the fungus in check through, well, cave hygiene.
The Nature Conservancy – the very organization we donate one percent of our income to every January – has created a man-made bat cave (no butler required) outside of Clarksville, Tennessee. The cave, a 78-foot long, 11-foot high box made of concrete culverts, is built into a hillside, and comes complete with netting and wall-crevices for roosting, a ventilation chimney, a rainwater pipe that provides drinking water and humidity maintenance, and, of course, high-tech surveillance equipment. It is estimated that this one cave could easily hold 160,000 bats, with some estimates going as high as 250,000 bats – almost all of the bats in the nearby natural cave system. The bats have a dedicated entrance, as do people, though the two species will not likely overlap much. Once the bats have moved out of the cave to their summer roosts, the people will move in, disinfectants in hand, and the cave will be cleaned, eradicating all traces of the white-nose fungus. If it works, this treatment will be repeated annually, allowing the bats time to adapt to the especially virile fungus naturally. Though challenging to design, the cave was easy to construct: it was completed in a single week in late August, at a cost of approximately $300,000, with an easy-to-duplicate plan. The Nature Conservancy views the cave as a prototype, and hopes that other conservation organizations will be able to make use of their design, if it is successful.
We are wishing the Nature Conservancy, and the bats, the best of luck. May they have a peaceful, uninterrupted slumber this winter.
How Can You Help the Bats?
For starters, put up a bat house or two around your house. They are easy to build, or if you’re not into carpentry, inexpensive to buy. Not only will you be helping out the bats, you will be helping yourself: bats are some of the best natural insect control around. Who needs an annoying bug zapper when you have a few night friends around?
If you are a spelunker, be fastidious about cleaning and disinfecting your gear – clothes, shoes, ropes, headlamps, everything. Do not go from one cave or mine into another without this thorough disinfection. (White-nose syndrome is thought to have been brought to North America from its native Europe by humans, and its spread once here has been facilitated by cave-hopping.) Observe all cave closures and restrictions; they may not only be for your safety, but possibly also for the safety of the creatures that inhabit them. Avoid caves or mines with large established populations of hibernating bats. As intensely cool as the bats are, if the fungus reaches a critical mass in the cave, 90% of that bat population could be wiped out in a single winter.
And of course, tell all your friends about how cool bats are. The more educated people are about these amazing creatures, the less fearful they will be, and that will be good for both bats and people.
October’s Monthly Specials
Get 10% off of unframed, 8x12 prints of “A Nation’s Pride -- Wounded” and / or “Stone Lantern & Maples” when you order from our specials page. As with all of our unframed prints, these prints are eligible for our No Hassle Returns.
October’s Fun Facts
The Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, is home to the largest urban population of bats: up to 1.5 million bats at its annual peak. There are so many that it can take up to 45 minutes for all of them to emerge from the bridge to begin their nightly hunt. Beginning in April, hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats arrive to give birth, and they stay through October. Bat-watching has become a popular tourist activity in the city. Bat-watchers are warned, however, that “depending on how close you are, an umbrella is a good idea.”
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CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC
www.cityescapesphotography.com
509-396-5154
