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 CONSERVATION
Batty at the
Zoo
by Steve Wing
General Curator
The Louisville Zoo currently exhibits one
species of bat, the Rodrigues fruit bat (Pteropus rodicenis).
Large fruit bats are sometimes called flying foxes, as their faces
resemble a fox or small dog. Rodrigues fruit bats are much larger
than our native Kentucky bats, with a wingspan of 2.5 feet and weighing
about a pound each. Thickly furred, most of the coat is a dark
chestnut brown except for a mantle of golden brown hair that covers the
head, neck and shoulders. Fruit bats are mainly nocturnal and have
excellent eyesight. They are important pollinators in many regions
of the world, redistributing pollen and seeds from a wide variety of
plants.
Fruit bats are found throughout the
tropical forests of Africa, Asia and Australia. Rodrigues fruit
bats are only found on Rodrigues, a 36 sware mile island that likes
1,000 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
The United States Fish and Wildlife
Service has listed the Rodrigues fruit bat as endangered. In 1974,
there were only about 70 bats left in the wild. Deforestation on
the Island of Rodrigues is the largest contributing factor to the
decline of these bats in the wild. The limited numbers of trees
deprive the bats of a valuable food source. Also, due to the
limited amount of cover, bats can be blown out to sea during the many
cyclones that hit the island. Louisville Zoo houses 13 captive
born bats which are on display in the Islands exhibits.
Bat Taxonomy (Classification)
The scientific order Chiroptera
(winged-hand) includes the 1000+ species of bats worldwide. They
are thought to be most closely related to primates (monkeys and apes)
and insectivores, and are not related to rodents at all, a common
misconception.
Bats are further divided into two main
groups, the fruit bats of the Old World tropics and the insectivorous
bats, which are found worldwide, including Kentucky and Indiana.
The insectivorous group also contains the nectarivores (eat nectar),
carnivores (meat-eaters) and sanguinivores (blood) bats. All bats
in the United states eat insects.
Bats eat 600 insects (including
mosquitoes) per hour which can be pretty handy. If you'd like to
have some bats in your backyard we've included some tips for attracting
them. You'll need a bat house, of course. These are
available locally and over the internet. Check the websites listed
below for more information.
Tips on Attracting Bats
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Kentuckiana bat houses should be
stained a dark color, such as brown, gray or green to help hold
heat.
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Place the bat house on a building or
pole and at least 20-25 feet from any trees, if possible, to
discourage predators.
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The bat house should receive over 6
hours of full-sun per day, preferably more.
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Mount your bat houses away from bright
lights at night.
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Do not be discouraged if bats do not
move in to their house right away. It can take a year or two
for bats to take up residence in a new home.
Bat Resources
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