Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I have had another nice and relaxing one. As I was looking for batty news, I stumbled upon a really interesting article. A research team in Kenya was studying African Yellow House Bats. There are 21 known species of African Yellow House Bats and the scientists were trying to accurately classify all the species when they made an amazing discovery. They believe they have discovered two new species of these bats! House Bats get their name from the fact that they like to roost in urban environments, but they are still very difficult to catch and study. Scientists knew there were different kinds because, while most of them have distinctive yellow bellies, some have brown or orange ones. Other than that, their physical differences are difficult to distinguish. Using skin samples, scientists analyzed the DNA of 100 bats in Kenya. They compared the samples to the bats in their genetic database and developed an African House Bat family tree. The new family tree helped organize the bats and showed that there are two distinct genetic lineages. Even though it is almost certain that these two bat species are new, researchers still have to show that they exhibit unique features, both physically and behaviorally, before they can officially be classified as new species. If you would like to read more about this exciting news, you can find information here. I hope everyone has a good week. Happy Bastille Day to everyone in France!
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. The world got some sad news Thursday when we learned of the passing of Koko the Gorilla. Koko was an amazing gorilla who had learned to communicate in American Sign Language. She was able to tell the world how she was feeling and what she was thinking in ways that humans didn’t realize animals would be able to. She was a great ambassador of the animal kingdom and will be greatly missed. I would like to express my sympathy to her caretakers and friends, especially Ms. Penny Patterson, who was Koko’s friend, teacher, and caretaker throughout Koko’s life. And I would like to dedicate this week’s blog to the memory of Koko. Since Koko lived in California, I thought it would be nice to learn about a California bat this week. Yuma myotis is just one of the adorable little critters that I read about. Not only does the Yuma myotis live in California, but it also lives in other parts of Western North America from British Columbia all the way down to Central Mexico. They live as far east as Oklahoma. They are covered by short brown fur and have little white tuffs on their stomachs. They always roost near a body of water, and like to rest in caves, attics, mines, and underneath bridges. They live in forests and desert areas with access to rivers, streams, ponds, or lakes. Like most other North American bats, these adorable animals like to munch on insects. Their favorites are moths, midges, caddisflies, craneflies, and beetles. If you would like to read more about the Yuma Myotis, you can find information here.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I am very excited because yesterday was the last day of school! I am finally free! Free to sleep late and relax! While I was looking for batty news, I came across an article about a small Dutch town that is helping bats. Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop is becoming a very eco-friendly town in the Netherlands. It is called home by a variety of rare and vulnerable plants and animals. Most importantly, they are home to a few bat species, including some in need of help. As we all know, bats, and other nocturnal animals, don’t like bright lights. Bright streetlights hurt their eyes and cause all kinds of problems for them. Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop has found a pretty cool solution to the problem. Red lights! Signify is an organization that has taken regular streetlights and changed them so that they emit a red color that uses a wavelength that doesn’t hurt the bats’ eyes, so they are able to fly around and do all their batty things. Not only does this light help nocturnal animals, it also helps the environment. The new lights save energy, which helps reduce the town’s carbon footprint. The streetlights have LED lights that are hooked up to a remote that can change the brightness of the light if needed. I’d like to thank the people of Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop for helping bats and other nocturnal animals. I’d also like to thank them for everything else they do to help the environment. Back in 2011, this town built 89 new sustainable houses that are better for the environment. These new streetlights couple perfectly with them in helping the animals and plants living, and thriving, around them. If you want to read the article you can find it here. I hope everyone has […]
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I did because yesterday was King’s Day in the Netherlands. Since I am part Dutch, I celebrated the day with some Dutch pancakes and a yummy Dutch cake. King’s Day is the birthday of the Dutch King. So, I would like to wish His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander a very happy birthday. I hope everyone in the Netherlands and Dutch people all over the world had a fantastic holiday. Since it was the King’s birthday yesterday, I thought that I would write about a bat from the Netherlands. I found an adorable bat called the Pond Bat. They are so cute! They have ash-grey or chestnut-brown fur on their backs, and their stomachs are covered with greyish fur. They live all over Europe and part of Asia. Pond bats roost in hollows in trees, caves, and comfy human house roofs and church towers. As their name suggests, they like living near water. They dive toward the water and catch gnats, midges, and caddis flies…I think the Bat Scouts could have a new Bat Scout cookie, because…eww! Like many other bats, these adorable critters are in danger. Many of their nursery sites have been lost in the western part of their range. They are doing a little better in the eastern part of their range, but they are still near threatened there. If you would like to read more about Pond Bats, you can find information here.
Today’s blog is dedicated to the people of Saskatchewan, Canada. I was very sad to hear about the terrible accident last weekend. I know this is a very difficult time for the people of Saskatchewan and for many people throughout Canada. Please know that my thoughts are with you. I hope you all had a good week! I am happy to report that I get to enjoy a long weekend! Friday was the end of the 3rd quarter at school, so we had an early release and we get to stay home Monday! Isn’t that amazing? I plan on sleeping late and going shopping. This week, I researched bats of Saskatchewan. They have 8 species of bats there. Many of the bats they have there are the same species that we have here in Virginia. There is one special little bat that they have that is no longer found here in Fairfax, Virginia. That’s right! The people of Saskatchewan are lucky enough to still have little brown bats. They have little Lucys flying in the night sky! Sadly, all of our little brown bats have passed away due to White Nose Syndrome. I was happy to discover the little brown bats who call Saskatchewan home are doing well. For those of us who have never been lucky enough to see a little brown bat flying around, they are adorable. They have yellowy-brown to light brown fur and are smaller than big brown bats. If these bats are able to avoid WNS, they can live up to 33 years. That makes them one of the longest lived mammals for their size. If you want to learn more about little brown bats, you can find information on the Save Lucy Website: http://virginiabats.org. And now, I am happy to announce that this Tuesday, […]
[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”5″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow” gallery_width=”600″ gallery_height=”400″ cycle_effect=”fade” cycle_interval=”5″ show_thumbnail_link=”0″ thumbnail_link_text=”Bats of WNS” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] The images above are white nose species we have hosted at Save Lucy. Not all species are imperiled equally, but all of them, even the more common ones, are in need of conservation action. — Ed. Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Mine started off well because it was Easter. I like Easter! I got to eat a lot of candy and candy makes me happy. Sadly, my wonderful vacation and holiday had to come to an end. I went to school on Tuesday. I had to give a 10-minute speech in my English class on Wednesday. I also had exams. It was awful! Something else happened this week that was even more awful than my suffering. The fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome has been found in two new places. First, it was found in Kansas. Kansas is the 32nd state that the fungus has been found in. Several bats were found to have the disease in Cherokee County in Southeast Kansas and in Barber County in South central Kansas. This news made me very sad. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the fungus has now been found in Central Texas. It was found in the Panhandle of Texas last year and it seems to be spreading. It has now been found in 4 new Texas counties. They found the fungus on cave bats, tri-colored bats, Townsend’s big-eared bats, and on a Mexican free-tailed bat. The detection of the fungus on a Mexican free-tailed bat was particularly worrisome. Scientists don’t think these bats are susceptible to WNS, but since they migrate in such large numbers, they are worried the disease could spread further. If you would like to read […]
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I had an awesome one because it was my spring break. I got to sleep late every single day! It was nice to be able to relax and not have to get up early for school. But, I think I’m lucky that I get to go to school. There are a lot of people who aren’t so lucky. One girl who fought for the right to go to school was Linda Brown. Ms. Brown passed away this week at the age of 75, but when she was only 9 years old, she became the center of a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Linda Brown was the brave little girl who fought for her right to go to school. Thanks to Linda Brown and her case, Brown vs. the Board of Education, all kids in this country have the right to go to their neighborhood schools. So, in honor of that little 9-year-old girl and the many others like her, I researched an adorable little bat from her home state of Kansas. There are 15 different species of bats that live in Kansas. The Cave Myotis bat is a medium sized bat. It has brown or black fur on its back and lighter fur on its underside. This little bat has short, pointy ears. The adorable Cave Myotis bat is true to its name and loves roosting in caves. They will also live in mines, rock crevices, abandoned buildings, barns and even under bridges. If the bats can’t find a cave to rest their wings in, they have been seen snuggled up in swallows’ nests. Despite the fact that these little bats live in caves they have been very lucky and have not suffered the effects […]
I would like to dedicate this week’s blog to Sudan. Sudan was the world’s last surviving male northern white rhino. He lived in Kenya and was 45 years old. Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter are the last two remaining northern white rhinos in the world. His death brings us closer to a world without these wonderful animals. I would like to thank all the people who were involved in Sudan’s care over the years and those who are still caring for and protecting the two females. Without you, it is possible that this species would have gone extinct years ago. Rest in peace sweet Sudan. We’ll miss you. Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged me and commiserated with me while I suffered through a long and virtually snowless winter. I am happy to report that Northern Virginia greeted the beginning of spring with a lovely snowstorm. That’s right! It snowed a whole 4 inches! Do you have any idea what 4 inches of snow does to Fairfax County? It Shuts It Down!!! Everything was closed! I didn’t have to go to school for TWO days! Sadly, the snow melted and I was unjustly forced to go to school on Friday. But, now it is Spring Break and I will get to sleep late for an entire week! While I was home enjoying my snow days, I read an interesting article about bats in Bracken cave. Scientists studying radar measurements for weather surveillance around Bracken cave discovered that Brazilian free-tailed bats are flying north to Texas from Mexico about two weeks earlier than they used to. They also found that more of the bats are staying in Texas through the winter. This research shows that bats can be studied […]
I would like to dedicate this blog to the memory of Professor Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist who passed away earlier this week at the age of 76. Professor Hawking was a completely amazing person who was diagnosed with ALS when he was 21 and was given only two years to live. Despite his illness, he continued to live a full life and made countless contributions to science. He once said, “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” I think that’s a good rule to live by. Professor Hawking was an inspiration to many people and he will be greatly missed. Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be nice to learn about an Irish bat. I found an adorable bat called the Daubenton’s bat! It has red-brown fur, with a cute pinkish face. Not only do these bats live in Ireland, they also live in England, Wales, Northern Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They like living in tunnels, bridges, caves, and old stone buildings with good hiding places. They will even roost under rocks on the cave floors and tunnel floors. Since they blend into the color of the rocks, they are nearly impossible to find. In the summer, Daubenton’s bats roost in humid, underground places that are usually close to a body of water. To get their dinner, these bats fly a few centimeters about the water’s surface and catch caddisflies, mayflies, and midges. They will even plunge their feet into the water to get a tasty meal from below the water’s surface. The population of this species has been affected by damage and […]