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Teresa wrote:If you're not a beginner caver, then you should know about the fines for harassing endangered species, especially ones in decline. The feds sometimes have really interesting ideas about what constitutes harassment--and there doesn't have to be a cave gate in sight.
There are a bunch of species of myotine bats in the central US, and they are all fairly difficult for anyone but an expert to tell apart. I showed the photo to a 30 year caver with a master's in biology who has done bat ID professionally, and he was skeptical. Hopefully come Monday morning some of the bat bios who hang out here will weigh in.
Teresa wrote:<snip>
We announced to the owner that we had found the fish, and called the local natural resources office with the report. We were told it was a good thing we didn't photograph it, for if we had, that would constitute proof of harassment. Needless to say, I went home and read the actual Endangered Species Act.
To this day, I still don't understand how seeing an endangered species in a cave with owner permission is harassment, especially when the authorities weren't expending their own time and resources to look. My statement was just a word to the wise for Wildwolf-- what a caver might think is Ok behavior can have an entirely different meaning to someone who narrowly interprets the ESA.
Komebeaux wrote:There are two ways to ID a Sodalis.
1. Their lips are very pink. They are very noticable. When they are roosting in groups, their lips stand out as rows of "pink stripes".
2. Hairy feet. I don't recommend you get close enough to inspect their feet because that might qualify as harassment, but an Indiana bat has very long hairs growing on their feet. Not thick fur, but just several long hairs sticking out on thier feet.
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