The Puffer Forum

it isn't really about hybernating ... it is more about staying as a group. If they are out at night, and it is too cold and there is a lack of food, why don't they cluster to keep warm and go and try the next day?

Geese and ducks have learned to switch the lead in flight, fish surf the bottom under the ice... North American bats haven't figured something out as of yet.

How do you know they didn't group at night? The bats around here group all through the summer. Bats are highly social creatures. Some of the few to demonstrate altruism. I'd be shocked if these ones didn't. They just can't produce enough heat.

It's a small mammal thing, has nothing to do with learning or anything like that. I can't think of the word right now but small birds do it as well.

Flutter wrote:How do you know they didn't group at night? The bats around here group all through the summer. Bats are highly social creatures. Some of the few to demonstrate altruism. I'd be shocked if these ones didn't. They just can't produce enough heat.

It's a small mammal thing, has nothing to do with learning or anything like that. I can't think of the word right now but small birds do it as well.

ohhh I am not doubting you for a second ... it is the nubmer of dead bats that are found along the road side each and every morning that causes concern. As nocternal animals you'd think that they go out (burr too cold) and go back. As opposed to becoming popsicles in search of food.

I haven't seen a bat up close in years!
Besides the ones at the zoo of course... lol

Last time was when my friend and I were very young (maybe grade 2?)
were laying on her front yard when a whole whack of them came flying out of an abandoned house
It was pretty darn cool to see!


Thanks for sharing J-P!

I wish I knew more about them. And could take a beter photo

With it light outside and dark inside it was difficult.

J-P wrote:ohhh I am not doubting you for a second ... it is the nubmer of dead bats that are found along the road side each and every morning that causes concern. As nocternal animals you'd think that they go out (burr too cold) and go back. As opposed to becoming popsicles in search of food.

Would you brave the cold and take a chance if you were starving? What if your options were to take a risk and try and find a meal or guaranteed death from starvation? I would probably be out finding food. I believe bats have to eat their weight in insects each night to survive.

I have a feeling it is more than that ...

Well the feeding, grouping, hybernation and evolution is way beyond my research level at the moment. Maybe, one day when I have more time to look it up.

Silly little critters .... I was hoping that they would fair here

It could definitely be more than that. Little creatures are insanely inefficient. It's amazing. Hopefully their population wasn't harmed too bad and they'll recover in the summer

Put out huge boxes of live crickets so they can get all the food they want and go back in before freezing?

Fount the little guy on the side of the house today. It died. Probably froze overnight.

That sucks.It seemed like you had a cool guest to bad it did'nt go differant.

well I was hoping it would survive but had a feeling it wouldn't

They are around just not in the numbers that I want. The mosquito / black fly population is terrible here. I hope that more will come as the weather gets warmer.

You should go around at night/very early morning, grab all the bats, stick em in a box, and take the box inside. Keep them warm

apparently there is something called "white nose disease" that these bats have and made them emerge early. MNR has 7000+ reported deaths in this area alone