Bat Research Paper
Bats
Prepared By: C4 8th Grade 01-05-97
Contents
1. Title Page Page... 1
2. Contents Page... 2
3. Bat Facts Page... 3-4
4. Congress Ave. Bridge Page... 5-6
5. How To Get A Bat Out Of Your House Page... 6
6. About Bat Houses Page... 7
7. References Page... 8+
My report is on bats. I will start my story off by telling you some facts about bats.
Bat Facts
1. Did you know that the worlds smallest mammal is a Bumblebee bat that lives in Thailand. It weighs less than a penny! 2. Vampire bats adopt orphan pups
(the name for a baby bat) and have been known to risk their lives to share food with the less fortunate. 3. The African Heart-Nosed bat …show more content…
4. The giant
Flying Fox bat from Indonesia has a wing span of six feet! 5. Disk-winged bats of Latin America have adhesive disks on both feet that enable them to live in unfurling banana leaves (or even walk up a window pane). 6. Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all mammal species, and most are highly beneficial. 7. Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night- flying insects! 8. A single brown bat can catch over 600 mosquitoes in just one hour! 9. Tropical bats are key elements in rain forest ecosystems which rely on them to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for countless trees and shrubs. 10.
Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics. 11. More than 50% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide. 12. All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than half of one percent of bats that do, normally bite only in self- defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them. 13. …show more content…
Bridge A Bit Of History.......
When Engineers reconstructed downtown Austin's Congress Bridge in 1980, they had no idea that the new crevices beneath the bridge would make an ideal bat roost. Although bats had lived in Austin for years, it was headline news when they suddenly began moving by the thousands under the bridge. Reacting in fear, many people petitioned to have the bat colony eradicated.
About that time, Bat Conservation International (BCI) stepped in and told Austinites the surprising truth: that bats are gentle and incredibly sophisticated animals, that bat-watchers have nothing to fear if they don't try to handle the bats, and that on the nightly flights out from under the bridge,
Austin bats eat 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects, including mosquitoes and numerous agricultural pests.
As the city came to appreciate its bats, the population under the
Congress Avenue Bridge grew to be the largest urban bat colony in North America.
With up to 1.5 million bats spiraling into the summer sunset, Austin now has one of the most unusual and fascinating tourist attractions anywhere!
Congress Avenue Bridge's bats are mostly Mexican free-tails
Prepared By: C4 8th Grade 01-05-97
Contents
1. Title Page Page... 1
2. Contents Page... 2
3. Bat Facts Page... 3-4
4. Congress Ave. Bridge Page... 5-6
5. How To Get A Bat Out Of Your House Page... 6
6. About Bat Houses Page... 7
7. References Page... 8+
My report is on bats. I will start my story off by telling you some facts about bats.
Bat Facts
1. Did you know that the worlds smallest mammal is a Bumblebee bat that lives in Thailand. It weighs less than a penny! 2. Vampire bats adopt orphan pups
(the name for a baby bat) and have been known to risk their lives to share food with the less fortunate. 3. The African Heart-Nosed bat …show more content…
4. The giant
Flying Fox bat from Indonesia has a wing span of six feet! 5. Disk-winged bats of Latin America have adhesive disks on both feet that enable them to live in unfurling banana leaves (or even walk up a window pane). 6. Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all mammal species, and most are highly beneficial. 7. Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night- flying insects! 8. A single brown bat can catch over 600 mosquitoes in just one hour! 9. Tropical bats are key elements in rain forest ecosystems which rely on them to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for countless trees and shrubs. 10.
Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics. 11. More than 50% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide. 12. All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than half of one percent of bats that do, normally bite only in self- defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them. 13. …show more content…
Bridge A Bit Of History.......
When Engineers reconstructed downtown Austin's Congress Bridge in 1980, they had no idea that the new crevices beneath the bridge would make an ideal bat roost. Although bats had lived in Austin for years, it was headline news when they suddenly began moving by the thousands under the bridge. Reacting in fear, many people petitioned to have the bat colony eradicated.
About that time, Bat Conservation International (BCI) stepped in and told Austinites the surprising truth: that bats are gentle and incredibly sophisticated animals, that bat-watchers have nothing to fear if they don't try to handle the bats, and that on the nightly flights out from under the bridge,
Austin bats eat 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects, including mosquitoes and numerous agricultural pests.
As the city came to appreciate its bats, the population under the
Congress Avenue Bridge grew to be the largest urban bat colony in North America.
With up to 1.5 million bats spiraling into the summer sunset, Austin now has one of the most unusual and fascinating tourist attractions anywhere!
Congress Avenue Bridge's bats are mostly Mexican free-tails