There are some people out there that spend a lot of time and money investing in keeping wild animals and critters from finding a home. There are all sorts of sprays, traps, electronic devices, noise machines, and old-fashioned scarecrows employed in the art of dissuading animals from coming around. Sometimes, some of it is warranted. […]
Tag: bats
Seeing through the swarm: How hawks hunt bat prey
Raptors are famous for their ability to home in on prey and attack with precision. But how does this work when they hunt animals that flock, school or swarm, forming bewildering displays that appear to move everywhere all at once? A study published today in Nature Communications reports that Swainson’s hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and some […]
The World’s Tiniest Bat Is In Big Trouble, But There Could Be Hope
The bumblebee bat, also known as Kitti’s hog-nosed ba is the smallest bat in the world, and has the smallest skull size of any mammal on earth. As TreeHugger reports, the bumblebee bat weighs on average less than .07 ounces and on 1.14 inches long, but the tiny species is at heightened risk from climate […]
Cats are eating NZ’s critically endangered bats
New research by Department of Conservation staff confirms what has long been suspected—feral and domestic cats are repeatedly hunting and eating New Zealand’s native bats, or pekapeka. In a recently published research paper in the NZ Journal of Zoology, DOC Science Advisor Dr. Kerry Borkin examined the gut contents of a feral cat trapped in […]
Hoards of terrestrial toads found living in dormouse nest boxes high in the trees
Toads sleeping in their nest boxes high in the trees have astonished scientists searching for dormice. For the first time, a study has shown how frequently common toads breed and build their nests in trees. There have been reports of 50 toads living in dormouse nest boxes, which are nests that are up to three […]
Millions of native creatures, including wallabies, green rosellas, cockatoos, and wombats, have been killed in Tasmania under property protection licences
According to data compiled by the state government, millions of native creatures, including wallabies, green rosellas, cockatoos, and wombats, have been killed in Tasmania under property protection licences. The Tasmanian Greens argue that a wider legislative investigation into the management and protection of wildlife in Tasmania should be conducted in order to study the “staggering” […]
Rescued Baby Flying Fox is Pampered Before His Release Back Into the Wild
This baby bat named Halloumi was found still alive on his electrocuted mom. Although sadly she couldn’t be saved, TikToker Jasmine Vink, a vaccinated and licensed bat rehabilitator and ecologist in Australia, brought Halloumi home and gave him some much-needed TLC. She wrapped him up in a warm blanket and decided that she would raise […]
A rare discovery of long-term memory in wild frog-eating bats
Frog-eating bats trained by researchers to associate a phone ringtone with a tasty treat were able to remember what they learned for up to four years in the wild, new research has found. The study acquainted 49 bats with a series of ringtones that attracted their attention, and trained them to associate flying toward just […]