Bats

As you walk around the Wetlands on these summer evenings one can see bats flying above you. With the launch of the new Batman film it is worth having a look at these fascinating creatures.

Bats are mammals which means that they are warm blooded, give birth to their young rather than lay eggs and also feed their young milk. They typically become active in late spring and early summer. A group of female bats come together to roost and form a nursery. Each female gives birth to a single baby that they can identify by its smell and sound. An interesting feature of bat behaviour is how they mate. Although mating will take place at this time of year (August) the female will not release her egg (ovulate) until next spring. She keeps the sperm with her as she hibernates and then will become pregnant next spring. As they hibernate over the winter their body temperature will drop to 8^oC.

The old wives tale that bats will get caught in your hair is not true. Although bats eyesight can be good for daytime, like humans they have poor eyesight at night. Therefore, bats locate their prey using a system known as echolocation. They emit high pitched sounds beyond the range of human hearing and by listening to the sound as it bounces off objects they can locate insects and other objects and tell how big it is and in what direction it is moving. Using special equipment we have been able to record the bat sounds from Cabragh Wetlands and these can be heard on www.cabraghwetlands.ie. Come out and see them some evening – we promise with their expert echolocation they won’t get caught in your hair!