Sunday, October 22, 2006
Bat Patrol
Well, as I was getting ready to come to work last night I noticed my little bat friend was still hanging in the same place and it did not look like it had moved at all. On the internet yesterday I read that bats will usually start to hunt about 2 hours or so after dusk. I left for work at 9:00 p.m., so I was concerned that maybe the little guy was just hanging there dead. My friend Charlie and I decided to gently prod it to see if it was alive. As soon as Charlie's finger touched him, he flicked his ears and squeaked at us. So, he's definately alive - I'm just totally perplexed as to why he is in that location. He's hanging in the window sill on my front porch which faces east, so he's getting quite a bit of light in the mornings. And there's nothing to protect him from the wind. I don't understand.
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2 comments:
If he's getting lots of sun he's definitely not a vampire.
It's possible your bat is preparing to hibernate:
"...bats in Missouri survive cold months by hibernating or migrating to warmer places. Hibernation is a state of rest in which heart and breathing rates are drastically reduced to help conserve energy. Bats reduce their body temperature from over 100 degrees F to the temperature of their hibernation site, usually 40-60 degrees F. The heart rate is slowed from over 1,000 beats per minute (bat in flight) to only one beat every four or five seconds.
"A hibernating bat can survive on only a few grams of stored fat during its 5- to 6-month hibernation period. Bats usually lose one-fourth to one-half of their body weight during hibernation. Each time a bat is awakened, it may lose up to two months of stored fat reserves."
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2000/03/40.htm
Cool! He may be my pet all winter long.
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