http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YPpcYhIncA
This film is not my creation, but it is realized by The Club Of Mountain Sports Hunedoara, club in I am a member too. Moreover, I am an actor in this film.
Nothing more... Just enjoy it!!!
joi, 26 aprilie 2012
marți, 24 aprilie 2012
Personal story and experience
Since I was little I was interested in bats. Because I am a caver, I am frequently seeing bats in caves. But, what I found unusual was that there are bats that can live in captivity.
A friend of mine that is biologist found an injured bat in the city. The bat had a broken wing and a running sore. It was incapable of flight and feeding itself. In order not to die, she took it home and fed it with fishing bait. After 2 weeks she visited me. She brought the bat too. Its injury wasn’t so bad, but he still couldn’t fly. I opened the box where it was and I took it into my hands. It was a very nice female of Nyctalus noctula.
Since I have it, I took some observations about it’s behavior, it’s mood and even it’s lifestyle.
The first big major thing that happened was that I was with it to a doctor. He operated it. The surgery held about 15 minutes. The bat was anaesthetized with a mask. It felt asleep in few minutes. The doctor cut a little from the bat’s bone and introduced into the rest of the bone a thin metal rod. (Bat’s bones are empty inside - the same as bird’s bones). This bar has the goal to fix the bone and to keep it in the right position. After the surgery the bat recovered immediately (about few minutes). The doctor remarked how incredible the bats are. They are the mammals that react the best at the anesthesia.
After the surgery, the bat behaved normally. Moreover, it was more active than before. So active, that all nights long it made a lot of noise in it’s box. One night it also crunched from the box and the books over it (usually I put books over the box, in order not to lose the bat- sometimes it break out) and it went away. In the morning I searched it through the house but I didn’t find it. I hoped that it will appear the next night - thing that really happened while my family wasn’t home next night and inside the house was quite. We found the bat very close from the place where his box was a night before. We think that it was hiding in a narrow space and it came back when she was hungry.
The most important thing that happened to my bat was in the middle of march. I was staying in the room near the box where it was and I heard some unusual low noise. It was like a roundelay. I have never heard that sound before, but I guessed what it was before opening the box. It gave birth to 2 cubs. (For the ones that wonder how it could become pregnant, the answer is simple: It mated/pared before it was hurt, when she lived in its natural environment.
Firstly I didn’t see the cubs because they were hanged under her and because she was very protective and didn’t let me touch her. After a while I saw the first real evidence of their presence. The bat-mother was blocking sight but something was clearly moving under its wing. When we finally saw the bats they were in the same time ugly and very cute. They haven’t had hair and all their body was covered just with bat’s specific skin.
The birth position
After some weeks, when I considered that the bat is out of any risks, I took it to the doctor again. He told me the bat recovered well after the surgery, even that it would never coul fly again and that maybe after 8 month from surgery, the doctor could take out the metal rot from the wing of the bat.
The loss of the cubs was sad and disappointing for me but I will continue to fight for those little mammals, and try to help people understand, respect and help them.
duminică, 22 aprilie 2012
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
☺Bats are the only flying mammals.
☺Bats first appeared 50.000.000 years
ago.
☺The world's smallest bat lives in
Thailand and it has a weight of 1.5 - 2 grams and a wingspan of 15 cm.
☺The greatest weight of a bat is of
about 1.5 kg (Pteropus edulis).
☺The
smallest bat in Romania is Pipistrellus pipistrellus, which weights just 3.5
grams. ☺The largest colony of Pipistrellus pipistrellus in Romania
can be found in Sura Mare Cave, Hunedoara County.
☺An insectivore bat eats around 10
kg of insects in a lifetime.
☺The largest bat colony in the world
can be found in Bracken Caves (USA). At around 1960 it was estimated at a
population of about 40,000,000 bats.
☺In Cave Trois - Freres
(France) there are cave drawings, that represent bats in flight and which date
back 35,000 years.
☺Johann Strauss composed the
operetta "The Bat”.
☺In China, bats are considered
guarantors of good luck, happiness and longevity.
☺Bat mortality in the first year of
life, is 50% (in the temperate zone), because young bats haven’t got the
experience of choosing the best places for hibernation.
☺The most despised bat is Desmodus
rotundus- the Vampire Bat, which can double its weight in one night with about
3-5 grams.
☺The largest colony of bats in
Europe is Cave Papara’s Huda (Romania, Alba county), where there were counted
approximately 84,000 bats belonging to 9 species. Inventory was coordinated by
prof. Dr. Ion Coroiu from the Faculty of Biology at Babes Bolyai University of
Cluj Napoca.
☺The
young orphans of Desmodos rotundus species are adapted by other female
☺European bats gestation lasts from
45 days to 70. Bats from warm areas have a shorter gestation period.
☺In the world there have been
identified 1100 species of bats, of which 80% live in warm areas.
☺71% of the total number of species
of bats are insectivore and only 0.3% are hematophagous (they feed with blood).
☺Accidental awakening of a
hibernating bat shortens its resistance with 50 days.
☺Usually bats have one to three
litters (Pipistrellus pipistrellus have 2 litters).
☺ The mammals that hunt bats are:
the stone marten, the fox, the rat, the cat, the ermine, the raccoon.
☺The first decree that was meant to
protect the bats, was developed in Holland (anul1880) and the second in Hungary
(1901).
☺The movie "Batman"
(filmed in 1989) brought over $ 240 million. The series continued with the
films "Batman Begins", released in 2005 (collecting $ 370 million)
and "The Darkknight" which brought $ 60 million XXX on the premiere
day. Movies have been starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger and
were produced by Warner Bros.
☺There are just 3 species of bats
that eat fish.
☺Bats have exceptional longevity for
some mammals of their size. In specialist publications are cited even ages
exceeding 30 years (Myotis lucifugus).
☺In Europe, rabies transmitted by
bats was found in Belgium, Denmark, Turkey, Serbia. In Romania no such cases
have been reported.
☺In Romania there is a report of one
bat to 50 people.
☺The Total quantity of insects
consumed by bats in Romania is of about 400,000 kg.
☺The largest bat in Romania is
Nyctalus lasiopterus that weighs 75-80 grams.
☺Aristotle was the first to say that
bats are mammals. He said this in his "natural studies".
☺In Gabon and Cameroon, hipposideros
gigas bat species is consumed by local people, and its taste resembles that of
snipe.
☺Leonardo da Vinci used the bat as a
model when he designed his flying car.
7. Bat's protection
Protection of bats is a necessity right now. The Chiropterapopulation of Europe is in sharp decline. Causes of the decrease in the number of bats are natural, but mostly anthropogenic.
Natural causes are:
- Low birth rate(1-2 pups /year)
- Vulnerability ofbat pups
- Rapid growth of water in caves galleries
- Extended cold periods
- Internal and external parasites
- The predators (stonemarten, fox, rat,cat, bird andshouted, swallows falcon, peregrine falcon, eagle owl, etc.).
Anthropogenic pressure isseveral for decades the main cause of reducing the number ofbats. They are affected by:
- Feeding habitats destruction through deforestation
- Cutting of oldtrees, which canprovide shelter for bats
- Pesticide use inagriculture leads to their accumulation in the body of insects, which are consumedby bats, leading to their poisoning
- Practicing extensively in agriculture of monocultures(one type of cultivated plants) greatly reduces the food supply of bats
- Drainage and other facilitieshave reduced land areas with swampsand the feeding habitatsof bats
- Demolition of oldbuildings or their renovation without being provided with inputs under the roofs to allow anthropophile bat speciesharboring
- Uncontrolled growth of speleological tourism (visitsduring hibernation, maternity, hostility of tourists, artificial lighting, noise
- The increasing number of wind farms (bats hitthe propeller-frequency installations)
Rules on the protection of bats incaves:
1. Avoid visitingcaves with bats.If such visits, the group will not exceed 5 people.
2. Avoid visits to caves when there are maternity colonies (May-August)
3. Avoid visits to caves during hibernation (late October - mid-April)
4. Do not stay in places where there are bats
5. Move quietly, do not run or throwstones at bats
6. Moving in the cave is done in single fileon a unique path
7. Do not use flamelight sources (carbide lamps, torches, candles), but electric lights
8. Do not smoke in the cave
9. Do not step on piles of guano (they are a source of trophic for some cave creatures)
10. No food scraps,garbage or carbate slurry abandonedin caves
11. Not directlyilluminated bats (withlantern, flash, projectors)
12. Follow the guidesor the custodians of caves
13. Do not damage the protected cave gates
14. Bat cavesport construction must comply with 15 cm distancebetween horizontal bars and between the verticalbars 70 cm
Bats and forest shelters protection
1. Raising awareness amongst forest managers and forestowners
2. Avoid deforestation
3. Avoid cutting old trees which provide shelters for bats
4. Forestation programs implementation
5. Prohibit the use of chemicals and toxic tomammals, when forester pest is desired
6. Installation of artificial shelters - housesfor bats, young forests,old forests withouttrees (location boxesto a minimum is 4 m, in places with easy access for bats)
Anthropophile Bats Protection
Anthropophile bats are those who shelter inbuildings made by men.. To take advantage of their presence we must impose the following :
1. Raising people’s awareness/ education about the importance of bats
2. Restoration, not demolition of old buildings that are home to bats
3. Artificial sheltersconstruction (bat houses) to 4 m of soil
4. Limit use of toxicchemicals for treatment,wood preservation and fireproofing and buildinguse
5. Installation of plastic sheets colonies of bats that live underbridges, houses, batdroppings collection (guano-phosphate can be used as natural fertilizer)
6. Monitoring of batcolonies
Legislation
The first decree that aimed at the protection of batswas developed in Holland in 1888
The most important law for the protection
of bats in Romania is Law 90/2000 (promulgated by presidential decree on 8 May
2000)
6..Hibernation and migration
During the day and during the year, the activity of the organisms present maximum and minimum levels of intensity. Thus, the alternating periods of activity and inactivity of the organisms were called biorhythms. The day-night alternation was called Circadian biorhythm (for example people's night sleep, day sleep of bats in summer) and seasonal biorhythms (for example the hibernation in bats, the lethargic sleep of bears in Romania, bird migration).
We present further the changes of activity of bats, with special reference to the bats in our country and in Europe.
Their Resting Hours
In the temperate zone bats do not fly during the day because they stay hidden in dark or dimly lit places, away from noise. This period is essential for them to rest till the coming of night when they go out hunting. They rest during the day because of the high intensity of light and because of the high temperature. Diurnal rest is not yet complete. In maternity colonies there is bustling at any time.
Nocturnal Activity
Nocturnal activities actually begin during the twilight from evening and it is extended to morning. After awakening from sleep bats execute short flights inside the roosts. Only a few get out of the shelter at first, they make a short exploration flight, then return to announce the other members of the colony. If nights are too rainy and cold bats can temporarily give up the feeding activity. Also, when leaving the shelter, they hunt for about 1-2 hours, after which they rest and digest just outside the roost, and they hunt again.
Migration
The phenomenon itself, of travelling to a long distance due to the lack of food and to the change of the thermal regime, characterizes few species. For example, the flying foxes (Pteropuspolicephalus) migrate some 1000 km from Australia due to the reduction of food resources. Also interesting, are the migrations of Lasiurus species - Lasiuruscinereus borealis-moving on the routes of traveling birds, sometimes with them, from the U.S. to Hawaii, to 4000km from the mainland.
Most species of insectivore bats do not migrate, but produce an oscillation between their winter shelter and the summer. This shift has different causes: being close to food, to separate males from females during pregnancy and motherhood. The distance on the road varies from one species to another:
- Up to 35-40 km for weak flying species: the notched eared bat (Myotis emarginatus), the water bat (Myotisdaugbentonii), the whiskered bat (Myotis daugbentonii);
- Oftenover 100 km – the common large bat(Myotis myotis), the long-winged bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) the red evening bat (Nyctalus noctula).
Hibernation
The bats from temperate areas are unable to maintain their constant body temperature regardless of external ambient temperature changes.
For bats, hibernation periods of about a month alternate with brief periods of lethargy or awakening. These short periods are necessary for individuals to change their place in the colony or inside the house, to hydrate. During hibernation, at a body temperature of about 5 degrees C, the oxygen consumption is only 0.02-0.07 ml/ g / h, or 1% of consumption made during the activity. Survival is ensured exclusively by fat accumulated during summer and autumn. A particular fat deposit - brown fat- deposited on the shoulders, around the neck and on the sides of the body. This fat is a source of food but it also ensures the internal heat production (endothermic). If insectivore bats are forced to defend from the very low temperatures, other bats take steps to protect themselves from too high temperatures.During hibernation, at a body temperature of about 5 degrees C, the oxygen consumption is only 0.02-0.07 ml/ g / h, or 1% of consumption made during the activity. Survival is ensured exclusively by fat accumulated during summer and autumn. A particular fat deposit - brown fat- deposited on the shoulders, around the neck and on the sides of the body. This fat is a source of food but it also ensures the internal heat production (endothermic). If insectivore bats are forced to defend from the very low temperatures, other bats take steps to protect themselves from too high temperatures.
5.Reproduction
Because bats are widespread in the world, there are different characteristics that are related to mating. For species inwarm regions of the globe, between males and females of the same species there are differenceseasy to spot: the males are larger, there are differencesregarding the coat color, they have the ability to ripple their fur. Also, there may be other physiological adaptationssuch as the characteristic skin gland secretions smell.
For species in the temperate region(mostly in Europe, North America andAsia), gender recognition is more difficult, requiring observation of the external genitalia. Most times they are not easily visible. When they rest these are hidden in the fur on the abdomen, covered by membranefolds or wingswhile for the eared bats (Plecotus auritus and Plecotusaustriacus), testicles and scrotumare located on the sides of the abdominal cavity and they are out only during the mating .
Their Behaviour and The Periodicity of Reproduction
In warm areas of the globe, there are sufficient foodresources throughout the year, sothese allow reproduction, birth and rearing of their litters in any interval. Intemperate climates, the female bats make delivery in the year when it is the best time for babies to feedand when they can grow deep enough intohibernation until the coming winter. Inthese situations all stages of breeding (pregnancy,childbirth, lactation, learning techniques of flying and hunting) are shortened.
Mating time and frequency characteristics are determined by climate and food resources in increase. Thus, the chiroptera were classified into:
1. Monoestriene (they reproduce only once a year)
2. Poliestriene (they reproduce several times per year):
- Two reproductions per year, seasonal
- With continuous reproductive behavior (mating can occur at any time of year)
The species with tworeproductions, seasonalreproduction - This includes several species oftropical India (belonging to the genera Rousettus, Cynopterus, Pipistrellus)and Africa (Pteroptide). The two reproductive periods overlapperiod of transition from one season to another, and between the restoccurs in malesexual a significantregression of testisvolume.
The species withcontinuous reproduction – they are not dependent on environmental conditions of life. In thecolonies there were identified pregnant female who are breastfeeding (species of the genera Nycteris, Rousettus, Taphozous, Mollus,Carroll, Glossophaga).
The species with one breeding a year - Mating takes place during autumn and even winter, the birth of offspring having place from May to July.At birth the young should be suficient developed and to have the adequate time for growth and fataccumulation. A very important thingfor all holarctic species and also for all bats of our country, is that of the male sexual cycle (spermatogenesis) ending a few months earlier than that of the the female (ovogenesis).
Each species has its own strategy of mating, characterizedby: the type ofmale flight, courtshipflight, the ultrasound issue, the attendance to false shelters to confuse other males – the potential rivals, the shelter impregnation with odoriferous secretionsproduced by the glands of male facial. Mating is between individualsof the same species. Deviations from this rule were observed for the water bat(Myotis daubentonii) which seeks partner inmixed colonies withMyotis myotis and Plecotus auritus (the eared bat). Matingin this species is performed during theformation of the hibernationcolon or during hibernation. Coupling takes place withoutprior ritual becausefemales are addressed in sleep, bitten andscratched to wake up.
Mating and pregnancy
Sexual maturity for the Chiroptera in the temperate zone is reached in the second year of life. The first mating takes place after 14 months. The only exceptionsare Rhinolophus hipposideros and the South American speciesthat can reproduce in the first year of life.
For European bats, mating begins with the collapse of maternitycolonies and with the weaning of pups (August-October). Individuals of both sexes do not show fidelity to one partner.The more intense is the spermatogenesis, the chance that at least a part ofthe sperm to survive until ovulation is greater.
After mating, sperm is stored inthe female genital tract, where it is storeduntil ovulation, which occurs usually in spring (March).Normally sperm should be destroyed by the immune systemof the female. On the contrary, however, they are fed by uterine fluidscontaining large amounts of glucose and fructose. Also, the high pressure of the dissolved carbondioxide and proteins in the uterus lumen, reduce to the minimum the requirementsof sperm consumption, conducting tp their immobilization.
In early spring, pregnant females
are the first to leave the hibernation shelters lookingfor maternity
roosts.During pregnancy and maternity, both mothers and babies are very
sensitive to any activity disturbing (noise, light, temperature changes)
Females during pregnancy and
lactation are in theintensive feeding to recover weight lost during hibernation
and the lastperiod of pregnancy. The time spent feeding variesbetween 2.5 and 5
hours / night.
The gestation period varies between
45 and 60 days, depending on the climate featuresof the year and on the
species. All holarctic species of bats have the ability to slow down or speed
up the process of gestation. Because metabolismduring pregnancy is sustained
and the energylosses are high, femalesare grouped together as much as possible
in order to regulate the body temperature in the community.
The vampire bat female (Desmodus
rotundus)have the longest period of gestation.
For birth and the rearing of young, single females form the maternitycolonies separated from males.
In some species the birth takes place in the normal position (upside down), and for others the females rotate180 degrees. Immediatelyafter birth the young slip in the foldsof the wings and tail membrane (uropatagiu),as in a pocket. After birth, youngsters remain about2 hours with their cord tied by the mother,to reduce the risk of fall. They cling with their clawson their mums’ fur looking for the breasts to feed immediately.
Most of the Chiroptera give birth to oneoffspring. However, some species of Vespertilionidae give birth to two oreven three babies.For example, in Western Europe, Pipistrellus pipistrellus creates a single offspring, while in the continentalregions with a focus on Eastern Europe, thereare often borntwins within the same species. The same is the result of more severe climatic conditions, a greater number of births ensure the perpetuation of the species.Usually, twins areborn to older females.
A very special social behavior has been reported in Pteropus rodricensis (the flying fox, a species in which young females are assistedat birth by other adult females. Mammaryglands are located on the abdomen. For some species (Nyctaride, Hipposideros) they are false, and are designed to provide offspring witha good grip area.
Intensive care of the offspring is typical of all species, because the birth rate is low and highly fluctuating over time andmortality rate is high.
At birth babies are deprived of fur, blind, weigh 1/3-1/5 of adult weight,but have a strong maternal instinct, clinging with the claws and teeth of their mothers’ fur. Their eyes open after 3-10 days, and after the first week the body is already covered by hair. After another 10 days, theinitial dentition falls and the final one forms. After3-4 weeks, the pups take the first flight lessons, initially clinging to mothers within the maternal shelter. On their first flying pups cannotavoid the obstacles, so they are landing on them. Tolaunch the newflight, they climb the walls with their claws.
Females of insectivorous species have highly nutritious milk. The offspring are breastfed for at least 2 times a day in between sleep by day and hunting. Lactationperiod lasts between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the species and by the pups’ habit to hunt.
While mothers are left to hunt,youngsters are gatheredtogether to maintain body temperature. Both mother and baby have highly developed olfactory sense, looking toeach other without fail. If the young fall while they are too young to fly, they send signals tobe spotted by the mother and brought back to the colony. Otherwise they die of hypothermia and starvation.
Abonați-vă la:
Postări (Atom)