Teresa wrote:It does make one wonder how warmer winters (if indeed we are going to a warmer climate) will affect not only bats, but bears, frogs, turtles, and other creatures who are accustomed to going torpid, semi-torpid or otherwise 'hibernate' in the winter.
All bats do not go into the same extent of hibernation. The only ones who achieve true hibernation are ones like pippistrelles, often encountered in winter caves only a few degrees warmer than the rock itself, and beaded with water. Even colonial myotis bats rouse occasionally. Some like the big browns, actually have more of a 'big sleep' similar to bears, where they get up and go out for a look see. Since many bat species mate during the early winter, the temperature changes and rousing may affect the later fertilization rates of the females.
While I'm not very good at quickly identifying individual species of bats the ones I saw in Camp's Gulf were probably a mix of Pips and Indiana Greys and Little Browns.
I had the unique pleasure of watching one groom itself while I was a few feet away. Obviously it wasn't bothered by my presence nor my light (halo... not direct beam) shining on it. There was another one asleep about a inch away from it.
Another one I saw was when David and I were climbing down from one of the big rooms and it was crawling over the rocks. THAT was really neat to watch. It's movement over the rocks was really something to see. Then it cornered it self... I backed up a little ways to give it room and it gave a little hop and flew off. Wish I had a camera.
Any and all bats that we saw in this (HUGE) cave we left well enough alone, except to snap a few photos.
I miss seeing the Townsend long/big eared bats in Utah but these pips and browns are just as wonderful.