Good evening, Kibitzers! Apparently, April 17 is National Bat Appreciation Day, although I cannot get Mr. Internet to cough up any information about who decided this. However, since the Obama-era Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the DOE affirmed it, that’s good enough for me.
Bats are threatened in many areas, by the destruction of their habitat and, in the eastern US and spreading west, by a devastating fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. (Spread maps / video) And that’s very bad news, because bats consume an enormous number of insects, and also are important pollinators, notably of the blue agave, source of Mexican tequila, but also of bananas, avocados, mangoes, and other plants.
Bats are one of the largest groups of mammals (after rodents); their 1000+ species comprise 20% of known mammal species. The smallest ones weigh less than a penny, and the largest approach three pounds, with a six-foot wingspan. They have excellent vision, despite the cliche, but are one of only two orders of animals that use sonar to hunt (the other being toothed whales).
People studying ways of making robots fly (note: not all of these people are evil) are very interested in bat flight. Bat wings are heavy, relative to those of other flying animals, so how they can be so agile is an interesting question.
Bat wings are actually arms and hands covered with a stretchy, sensitive membrane. By literally lifting a finger, bats can make minute course corrections in mid-air. But it’s difficult to tease out how they do this. You have to stick a lot of sensors on a bat and let it fly, measuring aerodynamic forces. Then computer simulations must crunch these readings to model the fluid dynamics of flight.
One good idea the U.S. Forest Service has had in the past to help protect bats (no idea if this continues 😨) is to install iron grates over abandoned mine entrances.
These "bat-gates" serve two primary purposes: they protect the public from stumbling into a mine that might be dangerous, as well as protecting habitat allowing passage for bats. In the past, many abandoned mines have been filled in with earth, often a costly proposition that is deadly for bats. Maintaining the mine for bats provides a win-win situation that is both simple and cost-effective. With approximately 25,000 abandoned mines on Forest Service lands and an estimated 200,000 across the U.S., there is great potential to make a significant positive impact on bat populations through this method of protection.
That Forest Service page gives some tips at the bottom for doing what you can to help bats. In addition to supporting conservation efforts by government and NGOs, you can build a bat house for your yard (or buy one that has received Bat Approved certification), or you may assist with bat rescue by “adopting” a bat that cannot be released for some reason and is given a home at a bat sanctuary. In return for a one-time donation, the rescue group I’ve linked will send you the photo and story of the bat you’ve sponsored.
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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