Tag education

Thinking of spring…

 Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! As you know, it is the goal of every wildlife rescuer to rehabilitate the animals in their care and release them back into the wild as soon as possible. For…

Colorado Cuties

 Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. My thoughts are with the people of Colorado right now, so I thought I’d write about a bat from there. I found an adorable species called the Long-legged Myotis. As…

Fruity floof

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! Since the Japanese cherry blossoms are blooming in Washington, DC, I thought that I would write about a bat from Japan. I found an adorable fruit bat called the Mariana fruit bat. The Mariana fruit bat has dark brown to black fur covering most of its body with grey hairs throughout and a beautiful gold or pail brown neck floof. Mariana fruit bats live in tropical and subtropical climates of Japan, Guam and in the Marina islands. They like to roost in limestone forests, coconut groves, and vegetation. During the day they mostly sleep but they also groom, fly around, and climb around. They usually leave their roost to get dinner around sunset. Since these bats are fruit bats, they like to munch on fruit and occasionally flowers and leaves. Sadly, these bats are endangered. This is due to habitat loss caused by timber removal, natural disasters, and habitat destruction caused by non-native animals. They have also been hunted and killed as a crop pest. If you’d like to read more about these bats, you can read about them here.

Can engineering match the agile flap flaps??

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I was home sick all week, so I didn’t really do much. I read an article about a new study being worked on by engineers at the University of British Columbia. The researchers are studying bat flight to help them develop better drones and other aerial vehicles. First the engineers built an aluminum bat wing and putting it in a wind tunnel. They then made a 3D computer model of the wing. They are studying how air flow affects the way a bat flies. Next, the engineers will make a physical model of a bat. This model will be used to study a bat in motion. Information learned will be used to optimize drone flight. They are hoping to make drones that will fly like automated bats with flapping wings. Groups of drones will be able to fly in a flock and will be used by businesses and emergency response. If you would like to read more, you can find the article here.

Sherman??!??

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I had a fabulous one because it was a holiday week and it snowed! Snow days are always especially fun! It’s been an exciting week at the Save Lucy Campaign. That’s because there is a cute new rescue. An adorable little Silver Haired bat was rescued a few days ago by the people working at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale, VA. The bat is now being cared for by Save Lucy rehabilitators. The bat’s primary caretakers at Save Lucy have generously named him # 2019-19. Bats in rehabilitation are usually given numbers for names. However, seeing as no one wants their name to be a number, I think he needs a better name. Something sophisticated and grand. A name like Sherman! Since our newest addition is a Silver Haired bat, I thought I would write a little bit about them. They have beautiful black or, less commonly, dark brown fur. The hair on their back has lovely silver tips. These bats live throughout the United States and into Canada and Mexico. They haven’t been found anywhere above southeast Alaska though. One interesting fact about the Silver Haired bats is that they are one of the slowest flying bats in North America. If you would like to read more about silver haired bats in Alaska, you can do so here. I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Spring in Louisiana: Love in the air, bats in the gym!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I have been very busy with school and I’m looking forward to my three-day weekend. Recently, Franklin Junior High in St. Mary Parish in Louisiana has become a home to some fuzzy creatures. This is after Zachary High, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Gueydan High in Vermilion Parish became home to colonies of migrating Mexican free-tailed bats. A United Bat Control Owner went to Franklin Junior High to have a look. She says that it is most likely that the bats wanted to keep warm as they migrate north from Mexico to their spring homes. The bats decided to take up residency in the school’s gym. To protect the bats and the students, school was closed on the 14th and the 15th. School officials might have to close the school on Monday too, if they can’t get the bats out. Right now, their plan is to close all of the school’s doors and windows while the bats are all out hunting for tasty bugs. Then, before the bats come in again, they will seal up any openings to make sure the bats stay out in the wild where they belong. If you would like to read more, you can do so here.

What’s a wattle??

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I had a pretty good one because it started with a snow day. That’s right, it finally snowed! While it has been cold and wintery here in the US, people in Australia are in the middle of summer. And with Australian summers, come fires. Because there are so many fires burning in Australia right now, I decided to research an Australian bat. There is a cute little bat called the Chocolate Wattled Bat. Unlike most bats living in Australia, these bats are micro-bats! They have milk-chocolate brown fur, which is where they get their name. They also have a pink nose and a cute, squishy face. They like to roost under bark and in tree hollows in south-western Australia. Their diet consists of moths and beetles. And the Chocolate Wattled Bat will hibernate in the winter when the insects aren’t always around. Although south-western Australia isn’t known for being cold, it does get chilly. And with food scarce, they can’t eat enough to keep them warm. These bats do have a few predators including hawks, owls, cats, wildfires, and humans. If you would like to read more about the Chocolate Wattled Bat, you can find information here and here.

Shut down the Shutdown!! Save our parks! Save our bats!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. It hasn’t been a very good week for National Parks and the plants and animals that live in them. That’s because the government shutdown continues. Many parks around the country are closed, but some remain open. Many of the parks that are open are suffering because of the lack of employees working at the park. Parks are being vandalized and trash is piling up. Sadly, vandals have even killed trees at Joshua Tree National Park. There are other effects of the shutdown too. Because government employees are not allowed to report to work, wildlife conservation and research has been put on hold. That means that government research on White-Nose Syndrome in bats has been halted. Luckily, not all government work has stopped. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has halted construction on 16 miles of Oklahoma Highway 16 between the town of Okay and the city of Wagoner. The work has been stopped to give investigators time to determine whether the construction will affect endangered Gray Bats in the area. Research is needed to determine whether or not sediment from the road construction has been affecting the quality of the water in the area. This could reduce the number of insects in the area, which would affect the bat’s ability to find food. If you would like to read more about this, you can find information here. I hope everyone has a good week. And, please, if you are fortunate enough to be allowed onto National Park land during this shutdown, take care of our parks. Please pick up your trash, stay on trails, and respect the plants and animals who live there.