Bats

Last night I went to a lecture sponsored by the Duluth Audubon Society. The talk was not about birds. Bat surveys and monitoring in the Superior National Forest was the topic and the speaker was Tim Catton. He started out by talking about the connection between bats and the SARS virus and the Corona virus. There is most likely a connection. Bats carry lots of viruses that don't make them sick. The Chinese Horseshoe bat was for sale in the Wuhan public market. Minnesota has eight species of bats. Four species migrate and are not affected by the white nose syndrome. The migratory bats roost in trees individually so there is less physical contact. The migratory bats include the hoary bat, the silver-haired bat, the Eastern red bat and the evening bat. The evening bat was not known to be present in Minnesota until a bat survey was completed at the Ammo plant in Arden Hills in 2016 where a lactating female evening bat was found in a mist net. The four migratory bats are the big brown bat, the little brown bat, the long-eared bat, and the tri-colored and smallest bat. A survey at the Mystery cave in southern Minnesota showed a 70% mortality rate from the white nose syndrome. A survey at the Soudan mine in northern Minnesota showed at 97% mortality rate. The fungus that causes the white nose syndrome needs a moist and cool environment such as inside caves and mines. The mating season for bats is in the fall. The females keep the sperm. In the spring if they feel up to a pregnancy and have enough food to eat they will start gestating. Bats remain pregnant for 60 days. Most bats are born between June 1st and July 15th. Most bats have only one offspring per year. One bat that was tagged was found 6 times hibernating in the same area of the same cave for over 40 years.  I never knew bats could live that long. Although some people think bats are scary and they do carry dangerous viruses they remain important parts in our ecosystem. Bats are pollinators. Bats control pests reducing the need to apply pesticides in our gardens and crops. Bats also provide food for falcons and hawks. Next month the topic is hummingbirds and the speaker is Carroll Henderson so I am definitely going to that one.