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Unbeknownst to most, there are many bats that populate Cal Poly Land. Bats, or Chiroptera, are nocturnal animals that usually sleep during the day. While bats do not have wings, they have large arm bones and muscles that allow them to fly. In addition to flying, they are also able to walk and climb. Most bats have an average life span of around 20 years. All of the bats you will find on Cal Poly land will hibernate for months at a time. When sleeping, they hang upside down. They have small eyes, and poor vision, but are able to use a form of sonar, called echolocation.

They project noise through their noses and mouths and sense the returning frequency. In this way, they are able to determine their surroundings with sharp accuracy. The noise that they emit cannot be heard by humans.

There are two types of bats – evening bats and free-tailed bats. Evening bats have ear lobes that protrude from the inner base of the ear. Their tails are much smaller, and extend only a small bit from their body. Free-tailed bats are usually thicker and their tails extend much farther than that of an evening bat. A few of the species that you will find in Cal Poly are a Hoary bat, a Pallid bat, and a Brazilian free-tailed bat. These bats on campus usually consume insects and small reptiles.

Image Source: www.scuba-addict.co.uk

Journal

As I awake to darkness, my fellow animal friends have mostly gone to sleep. While a day in a life for them is over, a night in my life begins. I usually begin my night by stretching out – hanging upside down, of course. I hang on to the branch above me with only my feet. I stretch my wings and let gravity do the rest.

After getting ready, I start to fly off on my journey. I like to cruise around at a steady 30 miles an hour. I’ve been flying around for about a half-hour and now I’m getting hungry. I send out some signals to see what’s around.

I send out about twenty sonar signals per second while waiting for any kind of echo to let me know I’ve got a target. Suddenly I hear something, and boy does it sound tasty (literally and figuratively). I sharply veer towards my little moth friend and increase my speed and also increase the amount of signals I’m sending out. I lock in on my target, Top Gun style, and dive in for the kill. The moth tastes alright, a little gamy if you ask me.

After flying back and forth for a couple more hours and eating a few more insects, I decide to call it quits. I’ve flown over 45 miles tonight, and boy are my arms tired. Returning to my cave, I see some of my friends and we decide to hang out. After chilling with them for a while, I’m pretty tired, and besides the sun’s coming up. I better get to sleep; the light really hurts my eyes. I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow night.

Image Source: www.batconservation.org

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera

Image Source: www.batconservation.org

A Bat Joke

A vampire bat came flapping in from the night covered in fresh blood and parked himself on the roof of the cave to get some sleep.
Pretty soon all the other bats smelled the blood and began hassling him about where he got it.

He told them to go away and let him get some sleep but they persisted until finally he gave in. "OK, follow me" he said and flew out of the cave with hundreds of bats behind him.

Down through the valley they went, across a river and into a forest full of trees. Finally he slowed down and all the other bats excitedly milled around him.

"Now, do you see that tree over there?" he asked.
"Yes, Yes, Yes!" the bats all screamed in a frenzy.
"Good" said the bat, "Because I sure as hell didn't!"