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!
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.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I found a really interesting article about bats. The article is all about the importance of background noises. Some people think that background noise is a nuisance. Bats, however use the noises that they hear outside of their roosts to plan their outings. A group of researchers decided to test how background sounds affected a bat’s hunting habits. The scientists selected two bat colonies, one being the common big-eared bat (Micronycteris microtis) and the other the Pallas’s mastiff bat (Molossus molossus), and simulated the sounds of heavy downpours. When the bats heard the sounds, they stayed in their roosts! Bats don’t like flying in the rain because when their wings get wet, they have to use more energy to fly. Scientists don’t know exactly why else bats don’t like rain, but they believe it might jam their echolocation and their ability to navigate and find their dinner. The bats in the simulation didn’t like rain and decided to stay inside. For a comparison, the scientists also simulated the sound of normal forest sounds. The bats only stayed inside when the rain sounds were playing. The common big-eared bat also sent out a bat to investigate their environmental conditions. If you want to read more about this study, you can find it here.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I had a great one because I had almost no school! The polar vortex closed schools and caused delayed openings. We also got a little bit of snow. The teeny bit of snow caused them to close school on Friday. We have no school Monday because it’s a teacher work day. So, I have a 4-day weekend! And now for the bat news. At an NBA game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets, a few surprise guests appeared. A group of bats flew in from an unknown entry point and stopped the game. Security guards ran onto the court and started trying to catch them with a giant net! One member of the San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, has been known to catch these beautiful creatures. In a previous game of his, a Mexican free-tailed bat flew in and began flying around. Ginobili swatted the bat and gave it to an area attendant. If a creature, like a bat, does fly into your house or building, you should call someone trained to help in these situations. This could be Animal Control or a local wildlife facility. You should never take matters into your own hands unless absolutely necessary. Ginobili did not take the correct measures in safety, and had to get 16 rabies shots afterward. If you would like to watch the videos of the bats enjoying the basketball game, you can do so here. [Hitting a small flying animal in order to contain it is never appropriate. However, we are not sure why Mr. Ginobili had to have so many injections after his contact with the bat. Please be assured that normally, there are fewer injections. Don’t let fear of shots or needles keep you from seeking medical attention after a bite or scratch from […]