Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jul 12, 2006 7:56:31 GMT -5
Bat cave? Around here, it's more likely to be a cypress tree
By TAJUANA CHESHIER tcheshier@jacksonsun.com
July 12, 2006
Surrounded by frogs, cottonmouths and bugs, Freed-Hardeman University biology instructor Brian Carver checks his nets for bats every 20 minutes and applies insect repellent about every hour.
His nighttime ritual intersects with those of the very vocal tree, bull and leopard frogs, along with the other animals of the swampy area around Pinson Mounds State Park. "It's pretty interesting out there at night," Carver said of the area in south Madison County. "It's a lot louder than someone would think."
For four weeks Carver and junior biology major Nolan Ashley have spent their nights this way - six or seven hours in murky, muddy water waiting to catch southeastern Myotis and Rafinesque's big-eared bats. The bats are measured and equipped with radio transmitters. Both species are considered "species of special concern" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Research has shown the bats prefer swamp areas and large trees, which have been disappearing because of agricultural development, Carver said. "We don't have a lot of concrete numbers on the bat populations because people haven't been studying them for long," he said. "But we can quantify that there's been a lot of habitat loss."
Carver said the purpose of the study is to learn more about bats in order to preserve them. Yes, he said preserve them, and for good reason. "Without bats, the insect population would increase dramatically," Carver said. "And biodiversity is important."
The Rafinesque's and southeastern Myotis are small, lightweight creatures and eat only insects. "The Rafinesque's weighs 7 to 11 grams and has a very distinctive look since their ears are so large," Carver said. "The southeastern Myotis weighs 5 to 9 grams."
When dealing with the bats, Carver takes the precaution of wearing gloves, but he believes the animals have caught a bad rap in Hollywood films. "People have a fear of a bat caught in their hair, but they are not very likely to bite or attack people," Carver said. "The rabies risk is minimal, but it is there. It really comes down to common sense - if you see one on the ground, don't touch it."
Tennessee State Parks and FHU are jointly funding the project at Pinson Mounds and Big Hill Pond in McNairy County. Once the bats are caught and measured, Carver and Ashley equip them with a radio transmitter weighing less than half as much as a plain M&M. The transmitter helps to track the bat in order to determine its roosting habits and the types of trees it tends to use. "Certain trees have a tendency to have a cavity, and you need to preserve those types of trees so that the bats (the southeastern Myotis and Rafinesque's big-eared bat) can roost in them," Ashley said in a press release.
So far they have determined the bats have sporadic roosting habits and change trees often, possibly to throw off their predators. "Big-eared bats are choosing hollowed trees, some cypress trees, that are very large with cavities at the bottom," Carver said. "The cavities are large enough for me to stand inside of the tree."
Carver and Ashley will monitor the same sample of species, three of each type of bat, at each location, Pinson Mounds and Big Hill Pond. "This is a rather ambitious project," Carver explained. "But the loss of their habitat is the reason the species is being studied." Later in the summer, Carver and Ashley plan to report their findings to Tennessee State Parks for possible habitat development and protection for the bats. "A study like this has not been done in the state of Tennessee," Carver said.
www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060712/NEWS01/607120306/1002
By TAJUANA CHESHIER tcheshier@jacksonsun.com
July 12, 2006
Surrounded by frogs, cottonmouths and bugs, Freed-Hardeman University biology instructor Brian Carver checks his nets for bats every 20 minutes and applies insect repellent about every hour.
His nighttime ritual intersects with those of the very vocal tree, bull and leopard frogs, along with the other animals of the swampy area around Pinson Mounds State Park. "It's pretty interesting out there at night," Carver said of the area in south Madison County. "It's a lot louder than someone would think."
For four weeks Carver and junior biology major Nolan Ashley have spent their nights this way - six or seven hours in murky, muddy water waiting to catch southeastern Myotis and Rafinesque's big-eared bats. The bats are measured and equipped with radio transmitters. Both species are considered "species of special concern" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Research has shown the bats prefer swamp areas and large trees, which have been disappearing because of agricultural development, Carver said. "We don't have a lot of concrete numbers on the bat populations because people haven't been studying them for long," he said. "But we can quantify that there's been a lot of habitat loss."
Carver said the purpose of the study is to learn more about bats in order to preserve them. Yes, he said preserve them, and for good reason. "Without bats, the insect population would increase dramatically," Carver said. "And biodiversity is important."
The Rafinesque's and southeastern Myotis are small, lightweight creatures and eat only insects. "The Rafinesque's weighs 7 to 11 grams and has a very distinctive look since their ears are so large," Carver said. "The southeastern Myotis weighs 5 to 9 grams."
When dealing with the bats, Carver takes the precaution of wearing gloves, but he believes the animals have caught a bad rap in Hollywood films. "People have a fear of a bat caught in their hair, but they are not very likely to bite or attack people," Carver said. "The rabies risk is minimal, but it is there. It really comes down to common sense - if you see one on the ground, don't touch it."
Tennessee State Parks and FHU are jointly funding the project at Pinson Mounds and Big Hill Pond in McNairy County. Once the bats are caught and measured, Carver and Ashley equip them with a radio transmitter weighing less than half as much as a plain M&M. The transmitter helps to track the bat in order to determine its roosting habits and the types of trees it tends to use. "Certain trees have a tendency to have a cavity, and you need to preserve those types of trees so that the bats (the southeastern Myotis and Rafinesque's big-eared bat) can roost in them," Ashley said in a press release.
So far they have determined the bats have sporadic roosting habits and change trees often, possibly to throw off their predators. "Big-eared bats are choosing hollowed trees, some cypress trees, that are very large with cavities at the bottom," Carver said. "The cavities are large enough for me to stand inside of the tree."
Carver and Ashley will monitor the same sample of species, three of each type of bat, at each location, Pinson Mounds and Big Hill Pond. "This is a rather ambitious project," Carver explained. "But the loss of their habitat is the reason the species is being studied." Later in the summer, Carver and Ashley plan to report their findings to Tennessee State Parks for possible habitat development and protection for the bats. "A study like this has not been done in the state of Tennessee," Carver said.
www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060712/NEWS01/607120306/1002