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OCTOBER 24-31, 2020 ISSUE 3 • 2020 CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL BATCON.ORG

Saving 's Fruit Research group led by former BCI student scholar promotes education and coexistence

INSIDE 06 -eating Myotis 14 Leaps in Bat Genomics 25 Backyard "Bativists" Are you a bat photographer?

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PHOTO: MICHAEL DURHAM / MINDEN PICTURES ISSUE 3 • 2020 Inside this Issue 14 FEATURES 08 SAVING MALAYSIA'S FRUIT BATS Research group led by former BCI student scholar promotes education and coexistence 14 OUT OF THE DARKNESS Big leaps in genomics illuminate the ' most closely held biological secrets DEPARTMENTS 02 OFF THE BAT Mike Daulton, BCI executive director, explains why the future needs us all 06 SPECIES STUDY A look at the Myotis vivesi 24 BAT CHAT Dr. Liliana Dávalos 25 BAT SQUAD Backyard "bativists"

Read back issues of Pale spear-nosed bat Bats Magazine at batcon.org/ (Phyllostomus discolor) batsmag. Photo: Jose Gabriel Martinez Fonseca

03 BAT SIGNALS 18 FIELD NOTES BCI news and Research news from conservation updates around the globe > A pply for a BCI student > Ultrasonic recorders research scholarship help researchers > BCI named Evidence detect bats remotely UPDATES Champion Photos from our

& > > Virtual Bat Week bat-loving readers > N orth American Society ON THE COVER for Bat Research turns 50 Protecting Malaysia's bats by providing education to

NEWS 04 farmers and tourists.

Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick Photo: Sanjitpaal Singh / Jitspics.com

batcon.org / bats 1 off the A few words of introduction from Bat Conservation International (BCI) is a 501(c)(3) your friends at BCI organization dedicated to protecting bats and their bat essential habitats around the world. A copy of our current financial statement and registration filed by the organization may be obtained by contacting our office in Austin, below, or by visiting batcon.org.

Main Office D.C. Office 500 North Capital 1012 14th Street, of Texas Highway, NW Suite 905 The Future Needs Us All Building 1 Washington, D.C. 20005 Austin, TX 78746 512.327.9721 By Mike Daulton 512.327.9721 Managing Editor Chief Editor his Bat Week, we are reminded where our bat houses are 100% Kristen Pope Javier Folgar of the importance of our com- occupied. We are deeply proud of mitment to bat conservation. this partnership, the progress we Contributors T Alyson Brokaw / Proofreader We will not back down as long as are making toward advancing urban Lisa Murdock / Proofreader bats are threatened with permanent, wildlife conservation, and the hope irreversible extinction. we are bringing for the future of this Publication Management GLC In 2019, Bat Conservation Inter- species that is clinging to existence in Bats Magazine welcomes queries from writers. Send national (BCI), in coordination with urban and suburban habitats. your article proposal in a brief outline form and a Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) Even with these achievements, our description of any photos, charts or other graphics to work is not complete. Just recently, a the Editor at [email protected]. Bat Lab at Zoo Miami. Our goal was poorly planned and badly sited hotel Members: We welcome your feedback. Please send letters to the Editor to [email protected]. Changes of andsimple: Zoo to Miami, protect opened the federally the first FPL and water park development, Miami address may be sent to [email protected] or to BCI endangered Florida bonneted bat— Wilds, has been proposed on the at our Austin, Texas, address above. Please allow four the rarest bat in the . Zoo Miami grounds. In its currently weeks for the change of address to take effect. Since then, we have made tremendous proposed location, this development Board of Directors progress. The 16 custom-built bat will eliminate a critical foraging site Dr. Charles C. Chester, Dr. Brock Fenton houses that we erected throughout for the Florida bonneted bat in the Chair Timo Hixon urban Miami are now 50% occupied Miami-Dade area, pushing it further Dr. Andrew Sansom, Don Kendall by this bat. We have had the most toward extinction. Tragically, it is Vice Chair Maria Mathis success on the grounds of Zoo Miami, proposed directly on the grounds of Danielle Gustafson, Sandy Read Treasurer Dr. Nancy Simmons Zoo Miami where our recovery work Eileen Arbues, Secretary Jenn Stephens “ Thousands of BCI for the bat is taking place. It would be supporters like you made awful if the hope we are building for Science Advisory Committee the species would instead be turned Dr. Luis Aguirre Dr. Stuart Parsons their voices heard with Dr. Sara Bumrungsri Dr. Paul Racey into despair. Dr. Liliana Dávalos Dr. Danilo Russo messages sent directly to BCI is making our voice heard, Dr. Tigga Kingston Dr. Paul Webala the commissioners.” loud and clear, to the developers, Dr. Gary McCracken the county commission, and others Senior Staff involved in the project. Thousands of Florida bonneted bat Mike Daulton, Executive Director BCI supporters like you made their Mylea Bayless, Chief of Strategic Partnerships voices heard with messages sent Dr. Winifred Frick, Chief Scientist directly to the commissioners. This Bobbie Jo Kelso, Chief Development & Communications Officer project directly threatens America’s Michael Nakamoto, Chief Operations Officer rarest bat with permanent extinc- Kevin Pierson, Chief Conservation Officer tion. We will not back down. With Visit BCI’s website at batcon.org and the following your help, I know we can continue social media sites: Facebook.com/batcon at survival. Twitter.com/BatConIntl to give this bat a fighting chance Instagram.com/batconservationinternational Mike Daulton YouTube.com/BatConservation

BCI Executive Director Photo: J. Scott Altenbach

2 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 BCI updates and conservation news bat signals

BCI 2020 Student Scholar Temidayo Adeyanju collects a bat's measurements in Nigeria.

For more information visit batcon.org/student-scholars

SCHOLARSHIPS Apply for a BCI Student Research Scholarship Graduate students can apply for funding through October 31

Conservation-minded bat scholars have 1. The effects of human-caused Additional awards are available until Oct. 31, 2020, to apply for the 2021 BCI environmental change on bats; for Women in Conservation Student Research Scholarship. To date, the 2. Understanding and resolving Science and the Verne & Marion program has funded 460 student scholars Read Bat Conservation Honor, working in 70 countries around the globe. 3. Answering ecological and which is awarded to a student Master’s and Ph.D. researchers can apply for behavioralbat/human questions conflicts; essential who inspires education and to the conservation of imperiled community action to protect bats of three broad topics: bat species. around the world. financial support for projects examining one Applications are open from Oct. 1–31, 2020. Photo: Adeyanju Taiye Adeyanju Photo:

batcon.org / bats 3 batsignals

CONSERVATION Evidence Champion BCI recognized for its commitment to use and contribute evidence in its conservation practice

CONSERVATION EVIDENCE, - iated with the University of Cambridge, has named BCI as an the approach. Evidence Champion to recognize a conservation BCI’s commitment organization to practic affil - fromBCI five recently studies signed that tested an agreement the efficacy with of Con- ing evidence-based conservation. servation Evidence to use evidence in our project The UK-based organization compiles and maintains an planning; test and publish results of our conser- online database allowing people to look up conservation vation interventions; and actions and learn about whether or not evidence backs certain ask BCI student scholarship practices. The Conservation Evidence online database collates recipients to use the conser- : vation evidence database Learn more ConservationEvidence.com demonstrate what conservation actions are based on evidence when planning research. forand different provides species summaries groups of relevantor management scientific categories. literature The that pro - “BCI’s collaboration with gram also publishes the online journal “Conservation Evidence” Conservation Evidence is part of our commitment and provides annual updated synopses of evidence, including to ensuring that our work contributes to global for bat conservation. Individual actions are summarized and efforts to improve conservation practices for bats,” says BCI Chief Scientist Dr. Winifred Frick, - scored by the available evidence in the scientific literature. servation Evidence’s Bat Conservation Synopsis. For example, under bat conservation, “creating artificial water who is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Con sources” is deemed “likely to be beneficial,” citing evidence

BCI Director of Endangered Species Interventions Dr. Jon Flanders performs acoustic analysis in the field. (This photograph was taken before social distancing requirements.) Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick

4 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 BCI staff look forward to connecting with colleagues and exchanging information about their latest work at NASBR each year (BCI pictured here in 2019). Virtual Bat Week Oct. 24–31, 2020

THIS YEAR, Bat Week is an all-virtual international celebration! Bat lovers around the world will come together virtually to celebrate these amazing winged wonders from Oct. 24–31. Join in the fun and learn about the world’s 1,400+ bat species. Become

enjoy, organize a bat club, or take an urbana bat advocate, bat walk. find The a Bat virtual Week event web- to site offers a wide array of options, including a community science component through Project Noah’s North American Bat Tracker. Or

Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick get a bit artsy by painting a mural, building a bat house, or cooking a RESEARCH meal with ingredients that rely on bats’ crucial pollination work. There are many ways to celebrate these North American Society amazing . for Bat Research Turns 50 Researchers honor five decades of work with celebratory volume

FIFTY YEARS AGO, a group of bat researchers gathered in Arizona for the Southwestern Symposium on Bat Research. With the name later changed to the North American Sym- posium on Bat Research (NASBR), researchers from around North America and beyond have gathered to share their research and knowledge, network, and work towards a

annual meeting each year, which is typically held in October. However, this year’s sym- posiummore inclusive has been and postponed diverse field. until The 2021. North American Society for Bat Research hosts the -

student“During participation our first five bodes decades well offor existence, continued NASBR success has into grown the next from half an century,”informal gathsays NASBRering to Board one of Chair the largest Dr. Burton scientific Lim. organizations studying bats, and our emphasis on In honor of the meeting’s 50th anniversary, researchers are compiling a “Celebratory Volume” entitled, “50 Years of Bat Research: Foundations and New Frontiers.” The vol- ume includes review papers from the conference’s early years, with an emphasis on how bat science Learn more: NASBR.org. “NASBR played a pivotal role in advancing our knowledge of bats and their biology,”has saysdeveloped BCI Board over Memberthe past Dr.five Brock decades. Fenton, who has attended NASBR for decades. “The most obvious contribution was providing a Alonzo Jonathan Photo: venue where bat could exchange information and ideas. The diversity of bats,

NASBR’s most important contribution is its impact on the research, careers, and ideas of Join in the virtual fun: researchers, and topics is reflected in the book ‘50 Years of NASBR.’ But I think that BatWeek.org this dynamic forum of bat biologists.” bat biologists. Many of them were students when they first came to and participated in

batcon.org / bats 5 studySPECIES There are 1,400+ species of bats in the world. This is one of them. A mission to learn all we can about the mysterious Jamaican flower bat

bat stats Binomial Myotis vivesi

Family

Colony size ~10,000

Weight 20-30 grams

Diet Mostly seafood (~90% marine fish & )

Status Vulnerable

Region Islands in and off Fish-eating Myotis Only the finest seafood will do for the ’ largest mouse-eared bat

by Christie Wilcox Photo: Dr. Marco Tschapka

6 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 Norte Island. While they aren’t doesn’t look like much of a home for bats. There are no what we typically think of as Alarget first cavesglance, to Partida shelter Nortethem from Island the in salty the Gulf sea ofspray California or a marine , the bats Myotis vivesi doesn’t the intense sun, and the dry, desolate landscape boasts little are unbelievably well-adapted require freshwater—it can in the way of or plant life—“maybe a cactus,” says Dr. to a seafaring life. They don’t subsist on seawater. Luis Gerardo Herrera Montalvo, a physiological ecologist with need freshwater to drink, for the National Autonomous University of in Mexico City. instance—they can subsist on seawater. And they’re experts at locating seafood buffets. (Myotis vivesi)—the only bat in the world that dines almost That’s actually what led Dr. Hurme to study them. For his But,exclusively just out on of seafood.sight, are tens of thousands of fish-eating myotis Ph.D., he wanted to use GPS technologies to track bat move- Despite the vulnerabilities that tend to come from island ments. “With GPS tracking, you need clear skies for the signal to living, Dr. Herrera’s research has discovered these unusual bats transmit, and a bat that you can easily recapture,” he explains. “So, a bat that lives on an island and always comes back to the He notes we must prevent predators like cats and rats from same spot is ideal.” establishingare flourishing on onthe the islands few islands where thein the bats world roost, where so they they can exist. continue to thrive. voyagers. “They go on these really long trips out into the open His research revealed the fish-eating bats are impressive two decades ago. He’d just started at the university when a colleagueDr. Herrera mentioned first began little workingwas known with about these the bats bat a specieslittle over ,land in overa single these evening—not deep, crazy, bad choppy for a waters bat measuring to find prey,” about he endemic to the islands in the Gulf of California and nearby 14explains. centimeters They’ll (5.5 inches)out up tofrom 50 kilometersnose to tail. (31 miles) from coasts. Since these bats live only in that area and nowhere else in the world, it makes them vulnerable to a variety of threats. But it’s not clear how they choose their flight path. “We still shortly after he learned about the bats, and he or his students Hurmedon't know notes. how “If theyyou playfind the feedingfish,” Dr. buzzes Herrera of says.one bat, you get Herrerahave gone made back his every way year to Partida since. Norte Island for the first time a lotThey of other seem bats to keep checking an ear you out out—even for other fishing if you're bats, on land.”Dr. It’s a long and dangerous trip. The weather can be unpredict- able, and there’s no infrastructure on the island, so everything the team needs has to be carried with them. a mystery.Still, exactly how that first bat spots the meal in the During the daytime, the bats roost amongst the seabirds that oftenThe flat bats’ and penchant glassy waters for marine of the fare Gulf explains of California their most remains distinc - nest on the island’s jagged cliffs, or beneath the rocky rubble tive feature: their humongous feet, perfect for plucking morsels that dominates the island. “You can be walking by, and they from the sea surface. Each foot is nearly 2.5 centimeters (1 inch), are under your feet,” Dr. Herrera says. To take measurements, about three times the length of similarly sized -eating relatives. And the long, curved claws are so sharp that they tend to them from the rocky rubble. That means moving a lot of rocks, snag on anything they touch. “They would always get hooked on obtainas they genetic tend to samples,wedge themselves or tag the aboutbats, you a meter first havedown. to extract my watch or stuck in my shirt,” Dr. Hurme recalls. “Every year, we think this is the last time we go,” he says. But the bats themselves are sweethearts. “They are very nice— new idea comes about, or some colleague shows his or her interest easygoing,”But while he their notes. toes “You are canferocious tell by to how fish, many Dr. Herrera papers wesays have everyin doing year, something he finds withsome this reason bat, toand return. we just “All keep of a going,” sudden, he some says. published on this species that they are very close to both our academic and our human hearts.” A mysterious fisher Myotis vivesi only lives on the islands and coastlines near Mexico’s Gulf of California. Its enormous feet are myotis, pretty much all that was known about them used for catching fish and other prey. wasBefore their Dr. strikingHerrera diet.started “They're working the with only the species fish-eating of bat that regularly eats marine creatures,” he says. Over the decades, he and his students—particularly the now-graduated Dr. José Juan Flores—examined the bats’ diets in a variety of ways, from sifting through guano to using advanced molecular techniques. All of

the bats eat comes from the sea. these“I like methods to say it'sconfirmed a marine that mammal,” more than says 90% Dr. Edwardof what Hurme, a behavioral ecologist with the Max Planck Institute of Behavior in Germany, and one of

the many researchers Dr. Herrera has taken to Partida Photo: Dr. Marco Tschapka

batcon.org / bats 7 Cover Story: Malaysia

s on most workday mornings, Dr. Sheema Abdul Aziz is up Aearly. She suits up in a long- sleeve shirt and cargo pants—clothes that protect her from Malaysia’s intense sun, and also guard against swarms of jungle mosquitoes. She packs her lunch, takes a quick sip of coffee, and checks the weather from her high-rise apartment in Kuala Lumpur in Peninsular Malaysia. Looking out the window, she sees gleaming glass skyscrapers, domes, minarets of Malaysia’s dominant Muslim faith, upturned roofs of traditional Chinese structures, and European-styled buildings from the country’s colonial period. The city of nearly 8 million people wraps around rivers and stretches to nearby low mountains. Malaysia—with its urban cities, rural small villages, tropical islands, and dense rainforests—is at the intersection of history and mod- ern-day progress, at the crossroads of saving (or potentially losing) dozens of plant and animal species. Dr. Sheema (in Malay culture, peo- Research group led by former roleple use in Malaysia’s their first overallnames rathercommit- than menttheir lastto conservation, names) plays because a significant saving BCI student scholar promotes bats helps save ecosystems and education and coexistence other species. She is president and co-founder of Rimba, a well-regarded by Lynn Davis on multiple Malaysian conserva- nonprofittion issues. research Her focus group is sustaining that works healthy populations of the large Pteropus vampyrus) Pteropus flyinghypomelanus fox ( ). Both species are andfrugi-nectarivorous the island flying which fox ( means they devour fruits and nectar, often- the country’s fruit farmers. times leading to tragic conflict with Saving

Rimba, the name of Dr. Sheema's nonprofit research group, means "jungle" in the native language of Malay.

Photo: Sanjitpaal Singh / Jitspics.com Malaysia’s Fruit Bats

8 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 Pteropus vampyrus in Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysia’s Fruit Bats

batcon.org / bats 9 Cover Story: Malaysia

The life-changing ‘puffball’ In the early 2000s, Dr. Sheema worked as an archaeologist for the Malaysian government. Her work required considerable travel and taxing

So, she reasoned, why not use her two-week vaca- fieldwork, which Dr. Sheema thoroughly enjoyed. Dr. Sheema applied to Earthwatch Institute, antion organization to try a different that connects kind of fieldwork? volunteers with scientists. She received a fellowship to work with Dr. Tigga Kingston, an American-based bat researcher who is globally renowned for her work in the threatened rainforests of and coordinator of the Southeast Asian Bat Con- servation Research Unit (SEABCRU). For two weeks, Dr. Sheema and other volun- teers helped Dr. Kingston capture bats and data as they painstakingly moved through the chal- lenging terrain of the Krau Wildlife Reserve. The reserve, which bisects the interior of Peninsular Malaysia, is a pristine and unspoiled lowland tropical rainforest valued for its exceptional diversity of birds and mammals, and is strictly off-limits to anyone without a research permit. For Dr. Sheema, who had hiked only recreationally in the forests around Kuala Lumpur, the dense, swampy, and thorny landscape was nothing like

yet exhilarating. anythingWhen Dr.she Kingston’s had experienced research before. group Difficult— brought

batbats ( Kerivoulafrom the forestintermedia to the), fielda little-known lab, Dr. Sheema species ofheld vesper a bat batfor foundthe first only time. in Malaysia, It was a small and one woolly of the smallest mammals on earth. It weighed less

Photo: Reuben Clements Reuben Photo: than two ounces. Dr. Sheema says it was a life-changing moment. The morning she is interviewed, Dr. Sheema Dr. Sheema climbing a durian tree during “There it was, in the palm of my hand, a tiny puff- loaded her dusty 1990s-era Land Cruiser with her BCI-funded Ph.D. research in 2015. ball weighing practically nothing, with its little long telescopic poles, camera traps, mist netting, eyes looking at me,” Dr. Sheema recounts. “I can’t and video recorders to drive with her research team to a newly found secret location. There, and I was intensely aware of the bat’s fragility. Ifully realized describe I needed the feeling. to do more I was than filled save with the awe past. foxes, which roost in “an exciting new location.” I needed to do something to save the future.” Dr.they Sheema documented says it ais small a place colony “that of our large team flying never Dr. Sheema turned her passion to bat conserva- predicted or could have imagined.” tion, moving from her initial fascination with one The discovery of the unusual roost has been of the smallest of insectivorous bats to becoming both exciting and perilous. If the location is dis- a foremost researcher and prominent advocate for closed, the colony could face carnage. In Southeast Scientists some of the largest fruit-eating bats. She pursued Asia, bats are shot down by fruit farmers who estimate a master’s degree and worked with the World mistakenly believe bats damage their fruit crops. Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia. They’re also killed for bushmeat and medicinal 20% of the In 2010, Dr. Sheema and her husband, Dr. purposes. They’re illegally hunted to be sold to world’s species Gopalasamy Reuben Clements (a.k.a. Reuben), restaurants that serve exotic foods, and they’re live in Malaysia. co-founded Rimba, which means “jungle” in the sometimes slaughtered simply for sport. native language of Malay. Since then, she has

10 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 launched important bat research and conserva- extensively. She also completed a doctorate in Fascinating facts about Malaysia’s ,tion initiatives, funded publishedby Bat Conservation prolifically, International and traveled fruit-eating bats and other bat-saving organizations. n The large flying fox (P. vampyrus) is the world’s largest bat, with a wingspan that can reach up to 6 feet. The lay of the land n Large flying foxes and island flying foxes (P. hypomelanus) roost in Malaysia—divided by the South Sea into trees but almost never co-roost. the regions of Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian n For decades, the Malaysian government licensed the hunting of Borneo—is the heart of Southeast Asia, bordered bats, resulting in up to 22,000 bat deaths yearly. Seven years ago, by several countries and surrounded by small hunting restrictions were tightened, but enforcement is difficult in tropical islands. Multi-ethnic, multicultural, and the country’s rural outreaches. endlessly diverse, the country has approximately 32 million residents, and scientists estimate it contains 1 in 5 of the world’s animal species. It is “Most farmers a picture-perfect paradise and a perfect storm for understand Malaysia’sparasites, diseases,two species and of public flying health, foxes after rather prior than Ten years ago, Malaysia stepped up its commit- bee pollination, sustainingresearch on the flying mammals. foxes mostly Her work focused protecting on viruses, conflictment to betweenconserve humansnatural resourcesand nature. and began to but many don’t fruit bats will have ecosystem-wide results. - think of bats as vation challenges persist, including deforestation pollinators.” Conflict with farmers seeand ahabitat significant loss dueuptick to logging,in ecotourism. agricultural But conser Small family-owned fruit farms, village orchards, expansion, quarrying, and wildlife poaching and — Dr. Sheema and corporate fruit plantations border Pen- Abdul Aziz insular Malaysia’s dense government-owned Rimba, are working to addresstrafficking. these Conservation issues. organizations, like “There are many local and interna- tional organizations in Malaysia that focus on terrestrial mam- mals: tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, sun bears, and orangutans,” Dr. Sheema says. “But no Malaysian-based focused on bats. So, we groupjumped was in. specificallyOur work conserving fruit bats will help save complete ecosystems, which, in turn, will help conserve the 110 bat species in Peninsular Malaysia, and many of those big iconic species.” In Malaysia, there are dozens of bat species that range from short-nosed dog-faced headed bamboo bats. Dr.fruit Sheema bats to dedicated small flat- Photo: Reuben Clements Reuben Photo: herself to conserving Dr. Sheema and members of her research team meet with a durian farmer in Terengganu. (This photograph was taken before social distancing requirements.)

batcon.org / bats 11 Cover Story: Malaysia

“ Through simple and basic outreach, we’re witnessing community recognition of the bats’ value and importance.” — Dr. Sheema Abdul Aziz Photo: Dr. Sheema Abdul Aziz

Dr. Sheema’s rainforests and tangled mangroves. This might be considered Bats and Malaysian culture research team collects bat fecal with humans. samples on a good place for large flying foxes—except for fatal conflicts Rimba’s “Project Pteropus” researchers are Tioman Island. Many farmers believe bats hurt their crops of bananas, mangos, beginning to incorporate ethnobiology—the (This photograph water apples, rambutan, jackfruit, and durian. Farmers survey study of how humans interact with nature— was taken before the morning remnants of partially eaten fruit and grimace at the within their public outreach and education, social distancing durian blooms strewn on the orchard tapping into rich, interesting cultural requirements.) traditions. Malaysians depict bats in positive naturally shed overnight. Some farm- floor—though many of these blooms are How do ways, both in art and creation stories. One ers respond with their shotguns, while you say “bat” indigenous group has a traditional dance that - in Malay? represents the beauty of a flying fox in flight. ament line to catch and kill. In Malay, the “Malaysian ancestors had ways of othersDr. Sheema’sstring fishing doctoral hooks research and monofil coexisting with bats,” Dr. Sheema says. “We general word believe a lot can be learned from talking with for all bats elders and applying their knowledge.” wasfoxes the are first vital to pollinators provide evidence for durian that, is “kelawar.” crops.rather Pungent,than being smelly, destructive, and consid- flying However, flying ered a delicacy, durian is Malaysia’s foxes are known most lucrative fruit crop. She seeks to specifically as educate farmers and others about bats’ “keluang.” important work.

12 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 “Most farmers understand bee pollination, but many don’t “ Our work conserving fruit bats will think of bats as pollinators,” Dr. Sheema says. “They too often help save complete ecosystems, which, see bats as destructive.” What they don’t realize, she says, is that fruit bats contort themselves to gently and tenderly drink in turn, will help conserve the 110 bat the durian nectar, never damaging the durian blooms. species in Peninsular Malaysia, and Dr. Sheema and her team travel to the fruit farms, sometimes many of those big iconic species.” dropping in and sometimes by appointment. They pull her Land — Dr. Sheema Abdul Aziz Cruiser off Malaysia’s well-maintained roads and drive along dirt roads through the sloping orchards, bouncing along and grinding the manual transmission. They also produced posters and brochures, which Some farmers are receptive to learning more about bat polli- they brought around to resorts and other tourism nation and are interested in solutions to save their fruit. Others are more resistant. Her work isn’t restricted to mainland farms results. We started hearing from the local people and forests, though. Sometimes, her work brings her to the spots.that tourists “Those were simple asking measures to see had the significantbats,” she says. country’s islands. Dr. Sheema is encouraged by the people’s inter- est in the bats, and she is optimistic her team’s Quest for coexistence efforts will continue to help people and bats get On Tioman Island, one of 64 small islands off the west coast of along—for the good of the entire ecosystem. Malaysia, Dr. Sheema and her team meet with dive and snorkel- “Through simple and basic outreach, we’re wit- ing centers, shops, hotels, restaurants, and the local villagers. nessing community recognition of the bats’ value and importance,” Dr. Sheema says. “Hopefully, that will build local pride in their resident bats. Yes, the Theadventure island, travelbest known destination. as the Dr.backdrop Sheema for is theon a1958 mission film to “South bats are still smelly and noisy, but we hope that Pacific,” has become an increasingly popular ecotourism and coexistence is on the horizon.” tourism appeal. persuadeThere, wherethe locals the thatbrilliant flying blue foxes could add even more Dr. Sheema mist netting fruit sea meets white sand beaches ringed bats in a durian orchard. by dense tropical rainforests, roost

are visible in plain sight in the trees, hundredsalong the walkwaysof island flying of the foxes. island’s They few villages, and on the beaches. Dr. Sheema points out that the island bats live unusually close to humans, a fact she believes could be attributed to the Islamic way of life, because Muslims do not eat bats. “The bats seem to know that they will not be hunted or eaten. They actually seem to want to hang out near humans.” The feeling, however, is not nec- essarily mutual. Villagers consider the bats a nuisance because they’re stinky and noisy. Children in the villages use slingshots on them and adults try to smoke them out of their roosts, which seldom works. So, Rimba tested a public out- reach campaign. “We started small. We put up a hand-painted informa- tion sign near one of the roost sites, near a popular walking area, to pro- vide some info about fruit bats and

advise to not come close,” she says. Photo: Sanjitpaal Singh / Jitspics.com

batcon.org / bats 13 Feature: Bat Genomics Darkness Big leaps in bat genomics illuminate the animals’ most closely held biological secrets

By Christie Wilcox

n 1990, an international group of geneticists unprecedented comparisons between species with began what was, at the time, an astonishingly different abilities or ecological roles, which, in turn, Ichallenging endeavor. Their goal: to sequence would help researchers unravel the mysteries of the human genome, all 3 billion base pairs. It took bat , including how they took to the skies. dozens of researchers from 20 institutions in six The ultimate goal, though, reaches far beyond countries longer than a decade and cost more than illuminating bat biology. “Both humans and bats $2.5 billion, but they ultimately succeeded. In the are mammals, and that means that we also have ensuing years, genomes for other animals have fol- something in common in terms of our overall lowed. Most are still incomplete, but researchers physiology,” explains Dr. Sharlene Santana, an have unveiled six complete bat genomes. evolutionary with the University of Published in Nature in July, the six complete bat Washington and the curator of mammals at the - Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in tious Bat1K global genome consortium, which . “So, understanding how bats’ physiology genomesaims to sequence are the first the genometo come offrom every the single ambi bat works may eventually help us understand how we, species. Achieving this lofty goal would allow

ourselves, might fight disease or live longer.” 14 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 Darkness

Unprecedented insights - Before this new batch, genomes from a little cies split into the ones alive today. It can also tell more than 125 of the roughly 6,500 species of sequencesus how those can splits help occurredscientists byfigure revealing out how what spe mammals had been constructed. Only 13 of those genes changed the most or the least—signatures were bats, even though the Chiroptera account for of strong evolutionary selection. Such comparative analyses will provide “Bats represent a large amount of the diversity researchers novel insights into the origins of ofabout mammals,” one-fifth Dr. of Santanaall mammals. says. “So, just under- quintessential bat traits like echolocation and standing the diversity, not only their external features but also their genomes, that tells us a lot that, by looking at their immune systems and about how they became survivors.” flight.looking But in theireven moregenomes, so, Dr. we Frank will perhaps says, “we see hope how “Genomics is really powerful,” says Dr. Hannah Frank, an evolutionary ecologist with Tulane Uni- maybe apply some of that to ourselves.” versity. Because all living things can trace back they'reEven tolerating before the or new fighting set, previous disease, bat and genomes then

Photo: Stephen Dalton/Minden Pictures Dalton/Minden Stephen Photo: to a single common ancestor, comparing genome had deepened our understanding of immunology,

batcon.org / bats 15 Feature: Bat Genomics

says Dr. Stephanie Pavlovich, a clinical researcher and medical Size matters resident at the University of North Carolina School of Medi- The researchers refer to their genomes as “reference-quality” cine. For her Ph.D., she helped construct a draft genome of the because they’re much more complete than the previous bat Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus)—a species known genomes—in many cases, by orders of magnitude. But obtain- to harbor the deadly Marburg virus without showing signs of ing the six incredibly complete illness. That genome revealed that the animals have a much genomes was no simple feat. larger number of type one interferon genes—proteins essential Though genome sequencing has for the body’s initial attack on invading viruses—than we do. become a lot cheaper and faster Learn more: The discovery meant researchers could now perform the kind of in the 30 years since the Human Bat1K.ucd.ie experiments that tease out what role each of those genes plays Genome Project began, putting in the bat’s immune system. together a high-quality genome remains a challenge. There are “ Understanding how “Having more genomic informa- trade-offs to consider when it comes to your method of sequenc- bats’ physiology works tion is always helpful in terms ing, explains Dr. Frank. may eventually help of asking the right evolutionary When you chop the DNA up into smaller pieces, the sequences questions,” she says. are more accurate, but they’re harder to piece together—hard us understand how we, The new genomes not only enough that genes or even sections of chromosomes can get left out ourselves, might fight expand the number of species on accident. Longer strings give you a better sense of the overall disease or live longer.” we can mine for similar insights, architecture of the genome, but they’re also more prone to error. — Dr. Sharlene Santana but they also provide richer data The “big breakthrough” for the Bat1K team was using both, on previous species genomes says Dr. Liliana Dávalos, an evolutionary biologist with Stony that can be used to deepen our Brook University, BCI science advisory committee member, and understanding of previous discoveries. “There are always genes one of the researchers involved in constructing the six genomes. By combining multiple technologies, especially newer ones that additional sequencing,” Dr. Pavlovich says. She is hopeful the new, sequence longer strings of DNA, they ensured the genome was morethat you've complete missed, Egyptian spaces fruit that bat you genome, need to one go back of the and six, fill can in help with both accurate and complete. “The only genomes that are better, in terms of completeness, forward, she says having these diverse genomes—which represent than the bat genomes in the paper, are actually the ones from fillboth in ofsome the majorof the blankslineages her of teambats, asmay well have as batsmissed. with And different looking mouse and human,” Dr. Dávalos says. And because they’re so geographic ranges, traits, and ecological roles—will help improve accurate, they will allow scientists to do something really new: the process of sequencing genomes for other species. to learn more about ourselves.

The 6 Sequenced Species

Greater Egyptian fruit bat Pale spear-nosed bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) (Rousettus aegyptiacus) ( discolor) Range: Northern Africa, Europe, Range: Parts of Africa and the Range: South America into and Eastern and Central Asia Middle East Central America Family: Rhinolophidae Family: Pteropodidae Family: Phyllostomidae Echolocation: Yes Echolocation: No (uses tongue clicks) Echolocation: Yes Diet: Insectivore, especially moths Diet: Frugivore Diet: Omnivore

Previously sequenced? No Previously sequenced? Yes Previously sequenced? No Photos by Yushi & Keiko Osawa; Steve Gettle/Minden Fonseca Martinez Gabriel Jose Pictures;

16 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 “ W e hope that, by looking Which Came First: Echolocation or Fruit Bats? at [bats’] immune Apart from flight, perhaps the most impressive bat feature is their ability to “see” with systems and looking in sound by using echolocation. But fruit bats in the family Pteropodidae (flying foxes) lack their genomes, we will this sonic superpower, and that sets up two possible scenarios for the trait’s evolution: either it arose separately in the close cousins of these fruit bats and all other bats, or perhaps see how they’re the ancestor of all bats could echolocate, and these fruit bats lost the ability. “This has tolerating or fighting been a long-standing question in bat biology,” explains Dr. Santana—one that these six disease, and then maybe genomes may have finally answered. apply some of that to Comparing physical features and genetic ones has yielded different answers in the past, Dr. Santana explains, but the six highly complete genomes were able to provide ourselves.” clearer insights. Instead of having to zero in on known genes and compare them between — Dr. Hannah Frank species, the Bat1K team was able to compare whole genomes and look for areas that differ between the various bats. That allowed them to uncover mutations present only in echolocating bats, including a tiny duplication in part of a hearing-related gene that no Bats are sometimes known for one had noticed before. their ability to survive and not even Since these genetic features were identical in all echolocating bats—including in seem ill when infected with viruses previously published genomes—they concluded that two independent origins for echolo- that are lethal in humans. Now that cation was extremely unlikely. we have their genomes, we can dive deep into the nitty-gritty of how It’s one thing to sequence a genome, and a whole other to bats pull that off. Dr. Dávalos envisions a not-too-distant future decipher what that sequence really means. And, to date, all other where experimental work in bats and in cultured bat cells animal genome sequences have relied heavily on the human reveals essential information about how our immune system and mouse genomes to infer what different genes do, a process works—or why it doesn’t always work. called annotating. Because of this, other animal genomes strug- Such studies could pinpoint genes that bats have that we gle to provide novel insights into how human genes work. But don’t, or ones that bats turn on at different times or in differ- now, because the six bat genomes are “on the level of the human ent amounts, for instance—all of which might provide clues to and the mouse genomes,” Dr. Dávalos thinks these animals will boosting our own anti-virus systems. “It's a very exciting time,” start teaching us a few things. she says.

Greater mouse-eared bat Kuhl's pipistrelle Velvety free-tailed bat (Myotis myotis) (Pipistrellus kuhlii) (Molossus molossus) Range: Europe into Asia Range: Europe, Northern Africa, Range: South America into Family: Vespertilionidae and parts of Asia Central America Echolocation: Yes Family: Vespertilionidae Family: Molossidae Diet: Insectivore Echolocation: Yes Echolocation: Yes Previously sequenced? No Diet: Insectivore Diet: Insectivore

Photos Fenton Brock and Sherri Kooij; der by van Jeroen Previously sequenced? No Previously sequenced? No

batcon.org / bats 17 RESEARCH field Research news from notes around the globe Ears in the Field Ultrasonic recorders help researchers detect bats remotely by Melody Schreiber

ON THEIR FIRST NIGHT IN RWANDA,

in an unexpected way. They had set upthe nets BCI fieldin Nyungwe research National team got Park, lucky one of the oldest rainforests on the African continent, to try to catch the critically endangered Hill’s horse- shoe bat (Rhinolophus hilli), which BCI Chief Scientist Dr. has not been seen since 1981. But Winifred Frick teaching instead of catching that rare bat, they BCI partners in Fiji how to capture bat calls using caught another—the Damara woolly a bat detector to monitor bat ( argentata)—which had for the endangered Fijian never been caught in Rwanda before. free-tailed bat. (This photograph was taken before social distancing requirements.) Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick

18 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 They were able to record the newly con-

they can now detect it by sound without firmedneeding bat’s to catch echolocation it again. Theycall, which used an means ultra- sonic recorder from Wildlife Acoustics, a Massachusetts-based company specializing in bat and bird acoustic equipment, to record the call. Recording and tracking bats with acous- tic equipment can be a less intrusive and less resource-intensive way to monitor bats, particularly from a distance. The equipment can be pointed at the sky to record and identify bats, but it can also be stationed in remote locations for long periods of time. The recorders run on batteries and can be BCI Director of Endangered Species programmed to run from sunset to sunrise. Interventions Dr. Jon Flanders trains Nyungwe In Rwanda, for instance, park rangers National Park Rangers in Rwanda to deploy trekked for about a day and a half to position bat detectors to survey for rare forest bats, recorders at the entrance to a remote cave. including the critically endangered Hill’s horseshoe bat. (This photograph was taken The recordings showed the bats in the cave before social distancing requirements.)

were not the Hill’s horseshoe bat, freeing up Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick the researchers to spend their valuable time focusing elsewhere. “Twenty years ago, this just Acoustic monitoring projects are being used wouldn’t have been possible,” says BCI Director of Endangered Species aphylla) and the Jamaican greater funnel-eared Interventions Dr. Jon Flanders. “The batto detect (Natalus the jamaicensis Jamaican flower), the Fijianbat ( free-tailed bat equipment was far too expensive, far (Chaerephon bregullae), and the Florida bonneted too heavy; you weren’t able to stick bat (Eumops floridanus), the rarest bat in the United it out for days on end. Whereas now, States. The Florida project uses 16 recorders to it’s waterproof, it’s robust, it’s really form an acoustic monitoring grid to track the fed- easy to use. So, the rangers are able erally endangered bat through changing seasons, to stick it in their backpack and take food sources, and roosts. it on part of their normal duties.” Sherwood Snyder, director of product man- But recording bat calls isn’t just for agement at Wildlife Acoustics, says it would be bat biologists anymore. Less expen- “excruciatingly expensive” and time-consuming sive, consumer-focused ultrasonic for bat biologists to do that level of work every sensors are also available to translate day across multiple locations. “It would take an echolocation calls to a human audible army of bat biologists to match that,” Snyder says. range and then create a spectrogram, Instead, the equipment frees up researchers to suggest a species from a database of focus on the most important work at hand, and bat calls, and even show a little photo- it also allows them to monitor from a distance, which is especially helpful during a pandemic. BCI Chief of Strategic Part- graphnerships of the Mylea identified Bayless bats. says that

equipment like this has great Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick Twenty years ago, this just wouldn’t have potential for involving community “ scientists and naturalists on Bat Walks, hosted by Bat calls are displayed on an iPad been possible. The equipment was far guides with acoustic detectors. connected to a bat detector in Jamaica while BCI scientists listen for the “It’s an opportunity for conservation involving too expensive, far too heavy; you weren’t critically endangered Jamaican flower able to stick it out for days on end. community contributions to science, and because bat emerging from its last known roost. Whereas now, it’s waterproof, it’s robust, the detectors are so accessible, they also present (This photograph was taken before social unique opportunities for outreach and for giving distancing requirements.) it’s really easy to use.” people an in-person introduction to bats through — Dr. Jon Flanders nature walks,” Bayless says.

batcon.org / bats 19 fieldnotes

READER IMAGES Bat Snapshot Photos from our talented, bat-loving readers

We asked Bats Magazine readers to submit their best images of bats, and we were impressed with the wide range of high-quality photos we received. Unfortu- nately, we weren’t able to print all of them in this issue, but here are a few of our favorites.

LAURA M. OSTEEN snapped this image of a few tucked under a leaf in Roatan, Honduras, in September 2017.

LYNN GOERTZEN spied this short-tailed fruit bat (Genus: ) enjoying a few nibbles out of a fruit basket in Calla Creek, Belize, in February 2012.

20 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 SARAH SAMAAN captured this image of Mexican free-tailed bats at Bracken Cave Preserve in August 2018. “I loved the eerie aura of the old structure as the bats made their way across the sky near twilight,” Samaan says.

RACHEL BATES was visiting the Chi Tunnels, near ’s Ho Chi Minh City, in early 2018 when she encountered this Lesser false (Megaderma spasma). “We were exploring the tunnels on a tour and there were bats flying around everywhere,” Bates recalls.

batcon.org / bats 21 fieldnotes

CHARLIE VANTASSEL photographed this Leptonycteris in August 2019 at Madera Canyon, Arizona. VanTassel first noticed the bat as part of a pair that repeatedly came to a hummingbird feeder that night.

STEVEN ROTHENBERG was in the wilds of Boca Tapada, Costa Rica, in November 2018 when he saw this Pallas’s long-tongued bat ( soricina) feeding on a banana flower.

22 bats / Issue 3 • 2020

ALYSON YATES snapped this image of a (Kerivoula picta) in a studio in in November 2019.

ALYSON YATES took a double exposure image of of a horseshoe bat (Genus: Hipposideros) in flight while exploring a cave in Thailand in 2019.

batcon.org / bats 23 bat chat A conversation with a noted expert Gene Genius Researcher and BCI science advisory committee member unveils new knowledge about bat genomes by Shaena Montanari

r. Liliana Dávalos is one of BCI’s science advisory committee mem- Dbers and a of conservation biology at Stony Brook University in New York. She earned her Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and environmental biology from Columbia University and now runs a lab focused on the study of molecular evolu- tion and tropical biology. Dr. Dávalos is part of the research team that published an article in Nature focusing on what high-quality genomes reveal about evolu- tionary of bats.

Why did you start researching bats? Like so many young organismal biologists, I was seduced and enchanted by birds, and that's what I wanted to study. But when I was applying to graduate school, I did not hear back from the ornithologists and instead heard back from one researcher, Dr. Nancy Simmons, who later became my advisor. She said she would work with me Photo: Dr. Winifred Frick if I would consider a project about bats Dr. Liliana Dávalos shows off some of the test tubes used in the sequencing project. instead. I already had some familiarity we can infer that over millions of generations, bats have been smaller at the time, and there were many opportunities to have exposed to unique viruses that other mammals have never awith great bats impact from with fieldwork. research. The field of bat researchers was a lot viruses that have, as of now, only been found circulating in The Nature study you worked on recently compares whole been exposed to before. We find insertions in the genome from genomes of bats. How does sequencing whole genomes help about the history of what viruses bats have been dealing with you understand more about characteristics of bats, such as forbirds. a long That time. is a remarkable finding because it tells us something disease tolerance? I think the No. 1 thing we can do with whole genomes is study What types of themes and questions do you think will guide gene content with much greater precision. As we get better and your future research? better genomes, we understand that evolution through gene I think we are going to take the bats in the lab. In some cases, duplication and gene loss is important. To understand more that means the whole bat, but also through immortalized about gene families (sets of similar genes) that are critical for cell lines for bats, which are still uncommon. These types of immunity and sensory systems in mammals, we need really resources exist in mouse models—you can order particular good whole genomes to study. mouse cell lines from a catalog that mimic a particular disease to study in a lab. Future research will entail the development of What did you learn about the relationship between bats and a much greater variety of these cell lines for bats. Outside of the viruses in this recent study? - One of the key things that was discovered in this paper is that tor bat metabolism, health, and disease, all of which used to be there are ancient viral insertions in the genome. From that, lab, we also want to do more field studies like track and moni

difficult to do but are now becoming less expensive. 24 bats / Issue 3 • 2020 bat squad For the young conservationist Backyard “Bativists” BCI Intern Sophia Seufert inspires young bat lovers with video series By Laurel Neme

Sophia Seufert, BCI intern and Brandeis AUniversitynyone can bejunior. a backyard Seufert ‘bativist’,” spent her says summer creating a series of videos for BCI to help young people connect with bats and create “bativists”—that is, bat activists. The virtual internship started after Charles Chester, BCI’s Board Chair and professor at Tufts and Brandeis universities, checked in with BCI about possible opportunities for students. COVID-19 had prompted the cancellation of most internships, so he was wondering if BCI could provide opportunities. Sophia Seufert worked on “It was a perfect chance to do something we didn’t creating a series of educational really have the bandwidth for,” says Erin Cord, BCI’s videos during her summer Bat Walk network coordinator. BCI had suspended internship with BCI. Bat Walk trainings due to the pandemic, and Cord and Below: One of the projects Sophia Seufert focused on was others at BCI had been think- creating an "endangered bat “ Now, I see bats ing about other ways they passport" to teach kids about everywhere could help teach people about endangered bat species. the importance of bats. With and have new so many kids at home, edu- opportunities to cational videos immediately fourth, she highlights the precari- talk to people came to mind. ous status of bats with endangered about bats.” “We wanted to create some content bat passports, where each page that would bring bats to kids in a fun focuses on one of the species that — Sophia Seufert and virtual way,” Cord says. Working BCI helps, including a QR code with Seufert, who has a background that links to BCI’s website. The in both teaching and art, the two brainstormed ideas for a series of short, homemade videos with bat-related activities. explores bats’ social behavior The plan was to release them on BCI’s newly designed website fifthby making (and, for a cotton now, last) ball episode and share them on social media. bat family. Seufert then got to work. She developed activities. She wrote Seufert revels in how much she learned from her internship—from video production to con- servation. “I had little knowledge of bats before this,” she says. scripts. She filmed and starred in the series of five episodes, and “Now, I see bats everywhere and have new opportunities to talk batsshe animated are important and edited pollinators,” them each Seufert to five explains. minutes In in thelength. video, to people about bats.” sheThe shows first kids video how focuses to make on a“ecosystem Bat Pollination services Field and Guide. how The Watch the videos and you’ll agree that the real winners are second video includes a demonstration about how to make a the bats! fruit salad from some of the many plants pollinated by bats. In the video, Seufert mixes a syrup from agave and lime, then adds guava, mango, and bananas—all foods pollinated by bats. Check out the video series on BCI’s YouTube channel: In the third episode, Seufert shifts gears by showing off bats’ YouTube.com/BatConservation Photos: Annaleah Seufert

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