BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

ISSUE 1 • 2020 // BATCON.ORG

THE STINKY PART OF BAT RESEARCH

Scholarship recipients explore bats’ role in pollinating the world’s most pungent fruit

VIETNAM’S LARGEST SPECIES SPOTLIGHT: TRACING BRACKEN BAT COLONY JAMAICAN FLOWER BAT CAVE’S PAST Experience the thrill of the bat-nado! BCI’s Bracken Cave Preserve is the summer home to the For more details on largest known colony of bats anywhere in the world. Only BCI members have access to experience this awe-inspiring bat the changes to BCI’s emergence at Member Night Bat Flights. membership program,

As we shift to a February membership renewal cycle, make visit batcon.org/ sure your membership is up to date when registration membership/faq. opens this March for the 2020 Member Bat Flight Season (May–September).

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PHOTO: JONATHAN ALONZO / BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 1 • 2020 bats INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FEATURES 08 THE PRIDE OF TAN LAP A scientist is turning the tide for Vietnam’s largest bat colony

THE STINKY PART OF BAT RESEARCH 12 Exploring bats’ role in pollinating durian Photo: ChristianPhoto: Dietz

OFF THE BAT Mike Daulton, BCI’s [PAGE 6] BAT SQUAD 02 executive director, reflects Color by number of the on our conservation efforts 25 Jamaican Flower Bat

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT A look at the Jamaican Our Making a Difference section of Flower Bat Bats magazine is under construction! BCI 06 will be improving our donor recognition processes in the coming year through the BAT CHATS development of an annual report. We Q&A with look forward to the opportunity to more  appropriately thank and feature those who Dr. Nancy Simmons 23 Photo: Angelo Soto-Centeno contribute to BCI and our work.

NEWS & UPDATES

BAT SIGNALS FIELD NOTES BCI news and Research news from 03 conservation updates 18 around the globe

Saving the Florida bonneted bat Bracken Cave’s wild history Sanctuary for Fijian free-tailed bat LiDAR imaging technology North American Symposium helps protect bats on Bat Research What to do if you ON THE COVER “Bats on the Brink,” a song encounter a bat Durian fruit [PAGE 5] by Mister G Image: istock.com/miralex Photo: Julian Parker Burns

batcon.org bats { 01 batoff the A FEW WORDS OF INTRODUCTION FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT BCI

Bat Conservation International (BCI) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting bats and their Lasting Impact essential habitats around the world. A copy of our current financial statement and registration filed by By MIKE DAULTON the organization may be obtained by contacting our office in Austin, below, or by visiting batcon.org. he crisis in Australia has This past year, we’ve led the cre- Main Office Washington, D.C. shocked the world as devas- ation of the first-ever bat sanctuary 500 North Capital 1012 14th Street, NW of Texas Highway, Suite 905 tating bushfires have ravaged in Fiji, a significant step in ensuring T Building 1 Washington, D.C. parts of the country. Fueled by the survival of the critically endan- Austin, TX 78746 20005 drought and extreme rises in tem- gered Fijian free-tailed bat. We also 512-327-9721 512-327-9721 peratures, millions of acres have completed the largest agave resto- been destroyed and countless ani- ration project in the history of the Managing Editor Chief Editor mals have perished, including many United States by planting more than Kristen Pope Javier Folgar of Australia’s endangered flying 2,600 agaves in southeastern Arizona Contributors foxes. Our heart goes out to all who to provide food to nectar-feeding Alyson Brokaw / Proofreader have been impacted. bats. In Jamaica, we’ve completed a Lisa Murdock / Proofreader With these major factors at play, conservation road map to secure the the threats to bats have never been purchase of an important cave—the Publication Management GLC greater. However, there is hope. last-known roost of some of the most Bats welcomes queries from writers. Send your article We must make the investment endangered mam- proposal in a brief outline form and a description of now to end bat extinctions. mals on earth. And any photos, charts or other graphics to the Editor at [email protected]. Developing solutions to emerging that’s just the tip of TALK TO US and serious threats, like extreme the iceberg. Members: We welcome your feedback. Please send Share your thoughts letters to the Editor to . Changes and feedback with [email protected] changes to the seasons, requires Our lasting impact of address may be sent to [email protected] innovative research and global can even be seen Bats magazine at or to BCI at our Austin, Texas, address above. Please allow capacity-building. Here at BCI, that from work done [email protected] four weeks for the change of address to take effect. is what we are all about. in the late 1980s, As a science-based and results- when President Board of Directors Dr. Cullen Geiselman, Chair focused organization, we have a Reagan signed a bill authorizing Donald R. Kendall, Jr. Danielle Gustafson, Andy Sansom proven track record for success, the creation of the National Park Treasurer Dr. Nancy Simmons and 2019 was no different. of American Samoa, protecting the Eileen Arbues Susan Wallace critical habitat of declining Pacific Dr. Charles C. Chester Joe Walston island flying foxes. This landmark George ‘Timo’ Hixon legislation was made possible through intensive efforts by BCI, its Science Advisory Committee Dr. Gary McCracken Dr. Paul Racey Our collective work is members and friends, and Samoan Dr. Nancy Simmons Dr. Liliana Davalos conservationists. Our collective Dr. Tigga Kingston Dr. Danilo Russo being recognized even work is being recognized even 35+ Dr. Stuart Parsons years later by the U.S. government, as it releases the National Park Senior Staff 35+ years later by the Mike Daulton, Executive Director of American Samoa 2020 quarter Kevin Pierson, Chief Conservation Officer U.S. government, as it featuring the Samoan fruit bat. Mylea Bayless, Senior Director, Network and Partnerships As you can see, with your Winifred Frick, Chief Scientist releases the National continued support, we can keep Michael Nakamoto, Chief Operations Officer making a lasting impact on bat Park of American Visit BCI’s website at batcon.org and the following conservation worldwide. There is social media sites: hope. Together, we have the power Samoa 2020 quarter Facebook.com/batcon to end bat extinctions. Twitter.com/BatConIntl featuring the Samoan Instagram.com/ Mike Daulton batconservationinternational fruit bat. BCI Executive Director 02 }bats Issue 1 2020 Bat houses for the Florida bonneted bat are installed higher off the ground than typical bat houses to allow more bat room for the bats—which have a 20-inch wingspan—to take off. BCI UPDATES AND CONSERVATION NEWS

PARTNERSHIP Saving Bats The FPL Bat Lab at Zoo Miami works to save rarest bat species in the U.S.

Only found in southern Florida, the federally endangered about the insects they eat and their range in an urban Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus) is the rarest environment. bat species in the U.S. In order to learn more about the Sometimes, Florida bonneted bats roost in buildings, typ- species and work to protect it, BCI partnered with Florida ically in the Spanish tiles of historic homes. One of the lab’s Power & Light Company and Zoo Miami to open the priorities includes providing secure places for these bats to FPL Bat Lab at Zoo Miami in October 2019. This unique live where they are not in conflict with homeowners. To do lab is dedicated this, we are installing 40 specially engineered artificial bat to monitoring bat roosts throughout Miami-Dade County. Sixteen are already population health, installed, and half of these were quickly occupied. Affixed to educating the utility poles, the hurricane-resistant roosts are higher off the community, and ground than typical bat houses to allow the species more furthering knowl- room for takeoff edge about this rare due to its 20-inch species, including wingspan and GO ONLINE Florida bonneted bat learning more wing shape. To learn more about the FPL Bat Lab, visit MiamiBatLab.org Photos: M GambaRios M Photos:

batcon.org bats { 03 bat The team received permission from the village chief to enter the cave and use cutting-edge LiDAR technology to create 3D images of the cave.

SANCTUARY

StrategicSafe land Haven acquisition completes sanctuary for endangered Fijian free-tailed bat

o reach Fiji’s Nakanacagi Cave, BCI team members must fly to Fiji’s main island, hop a plane to the small island Tof Vanua Levu and then trek to the cave entrance. BCI team members have made this arduous journey about twice a year for the last several years with an important goal in mind: They were working to strategically acquire 22 hectares of land to create a sanctuary for the endangered Fijian free-tailed bat (Chaerophon bregullae). In October 2019, BCI, in partnership with the Rainforest Trust and the National Trust of Fiji, finalized the acquisition of the remaining parcel of land to ensure long-term protection of the 22-hectare sanctuary. Nakanacagi Cave is the only known maternity colony roost of the Fijian free-tailed bat, and it is the only known roost in all of Fiji. In fact, with an estimated population of 5,000 bats using the cave, this single roost appears to represent more than 95% of the species’ global population. On the team’s last visit, they also received permission from the village chief to enter the cave and use cutting-edge LiDAR technology to create 3D images of the cave, and to assess how to carry out the complicated process of removing aging metal pipes that run through it. BCI will continue to work with project partners, including the National Trust of Fiji, Nature Fiji, and members of the Fijian Bat Conservation Initiative and Rainforest Trust, to preserve the cave and sanctuary.

The colony at Nakanacagi Cave, a Fijian free-tailed bats sanctuary, appears to represent more than 95% of the species’ global population. Photos: Jon Flanders Jon Photos:

04 }bats Issue 1 2020 The team received permission from the village chief to enter the cave and use cutting-edge LiDAR technology to create 3D images of the cave.

BAT WEEK

Mister G with kids onstage

Bats on the Brink Song celebrates winged wonders

In honor of Bat Week 2019, Latin Grammy award-winning recording artist Mister G (a.k.a. Ben Gundersheimer) released a song called “Bats on the Brink.” The fun, all-ages tune is packed with catchy lyrics celebrating the echolocating mammals and encouraging people to take action to protect them.

LISTEN Hear Mister G’s music at MisterGSongs.com/bats Photo: Julian Parker Burns

SYMPOSIUM

BCIResearch shares knowledge at Bonanza annual North American Symposium on Bat Research n October 2019, members of the ffDr. Tina Cheng examined how ffMichael Whitby explained BCI team made seven different collaborative bat monitoring a study on intra-annual isotope Ipresentations on bat biology increases understanding of the sampling of red bats in and conservation during the 49th ways White-nose syndrome Nebraska. North American Symposium on Bat affects North American bat species. ffDr. Kristin Jonasson presented Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan. ffMichael Schirmacher explored a poster about using UV lights The annual meeting allows research- how operational minimization at to create prey patches where ers, educators, and the general wind turbines could help reduce bats with White-nose syndrome public to exchange knowledge and bat fatalities. could forage. foster collaboration. BCI’s presenta- tions at the symposium included: ffDr. Winifred Frick discussed threats, challenges, and solutions for bat conservation around the globe. ffDr. Jon Flanders spoke about the importance of conserving caves for critically endangered species in the Caribbean. ffDr. Melquisedec Gamba-Rios ana- lyzed how ecotourism and human disturbance can affect bats. Attendees at the NASBR Diversity in Science Breakfast batcon.org bats { 05 species spott THERE ARE 1,400+ SPECIES OF BATS IN THE WORLD. THIS IS ONE OF THEM. light

Jamaican Flower Bat

bat stats BINOMIAL Phyllonycteris aphylla

FAMILY Phyllostomidae

COLONY SIZE Hundreds to thousands

WEIGHT 14–19 grams

DIET Nectarivorous

STATUS Critically endangered

REGION

Jamaica Photo: Angelo Soto-Centeno

06 }bats Issue 1 2020 Researchers are extracting DNA from Jamaican flower bat guano to analyze the animals’ diet without disturbing them.

A mission to learn all we themselves—and it didn’t take long to find one. can about the mysterious “One bat flew straight into Jamaican flower bat my chest, so I just held onto it,” Dr. Flanders says. He was able to visually confirm that By SHAENA MONTANARI he did, in fact, accidentally catch a Jamaican flower ne hundred percent bat. On a subsequent trip, Jamaican flower humidity and over the team was able to collect bats are only known 100-degree-Fahrenheit heat samples of bat guano to to live in one cave O in the entire world. may sound uncomfortable at best, share with collaborators at but for a Jamaican flower bat, there’s Stony Brook University, who no better place to make a home. will hopefully be able to Photo: Winifred Frick Hundreds of tawny-colored extract DNA to learn more about the encourage people to harvest guano Jamaican flower bats (Phyllonycteris bats’ diet without disturbing them. at times of year when it will have aphylla) happily roost in a Jamaican Researchers don’t know yet the least impact is really important,” cave in these sweltering conditions, exactly how large the cave’s bat Dr. Frick says. partially created by their own body population is since they haven’t been However, there is an alternative heat and the decomposition of their able to conduct an official count. to entering a cave to collect guano: guano on the cave floor. During the team’s last visit in May bat houses. Bats live in these boxes This “hot cave” is the only spot 2019, the Jamaican flower bats had outside of caves and can provide an where this species has been found just given birth to their pups, so they easier collection point for guano fer- in recent history. The Jamaican will return for a count at a later time. tilizer. Dr. Flanders notes the types flower bat, endemic to the country, Dr. Flanders and other scientists of bats that live in bat houses are used to be more widespread. But are also interested in assessing insect eaters, which actually provide in 2005, after almost two decades the conditions of caves where better guano than nectivorous bats of not being detected in the last they don’t find the species. Even like the Jamaican flower bat, so it’s cave where it was known to roost, though there are over 1,100 caves a win-win situation. it was considered extinct. In 2010, in Jamaica, not all are suitable for An important part of protecting Jamaica’s National Environment the endemic bat. Once enough the Jamaican flower bat is finding and Planning Agency (NEPA) bats leave a cave, the fetid, steamy out exactly what it eats. Researchers documented the species in just microclimate generated by bat body know it is a nectar-feeding bat, but one cave in the Portland parish heat and guano decomposition no there is anecdotal evidence it may of Jamaica. longer persists, so it might not be also consume different types of Now, BCI is doing everything it can as appealing for them to recolonize. fruit. Understanding more about to learn more about this mysterious A number of factors may be its diet will help BCI and Jamaican bat and protect its unusual habitat so upsetting both the bats and this scientists know what food sources the critically endangered species can delicate cave ecosystem. Dr. to protect to ensure the survival of be saved from extinction. Winifred Frick, BCI’s chief scientist, the species. Dr. Flanders is hopeful According to Dr. Jon Flanders, notes the singular cave where the this new round of research will help director of BCI’s endangered species Jamaican flower bat resides is the species in the long run. intervention program, the team surrounded by urban and suburban “This is a naturally rare bat that has been making trips to Jamaica development. “There’s actually a has been heavily impacted by land- since 2018 to work with NEPA, road that goes over part of the top use change and continued cave the Jamaican Caves Organisation, of the cave,” Dr. Frick says. disturbance,” Dr. Flanders says. “It’s and other in-country partners to In a populated area, caves are up to us to make sure that one cave carefully resurvey caves that the sometimes used for recreation and is protected.” Jamaican flower bat once inhabited also used by people looking to har- BCI is currently helping raise to see if there are any remaining vest guano for fertilizer. However, funds so the Jamaican government undiscovered colonies. when bats have pups, entry to caves can purchase the one cave the On their first trip to Jamaica, the can be particularly harmful. Jamaican flower bat lives in, as it team traveled to the Portland cave “Protecting caves and reducing is on private land. BCI expects the to view the Jamaican flower bat for the access of people and trying to purchase to be finalized in 2020. batcon.org bats { 07 FEATURE

WITH A LOT OF SHOE LEATHER AND A BIT OF FENCING, A SCIENTIST TURNS THE TIDE FOR VIETNAM’S LARGEST BAT COLONY

By MICHELLE Z. DONAHUE

Village of Tan Lap Photo: Christian Dietz

08 }bats Issue 1 2020 THE PRIDE OF

ecades ago, the villagers of Tan Lap in Vietnam would descend to the cave in the forest adjacent to their homes, drawn by its natural riches, namely, Dthe abundance of bats that made the cave home. While the guano deposits were valuable Critical Need: Cave Conservation enough—for fertilizing the villagers’ own fields, as well as to sell to neighbors—the Broadly distributed throughout all the countries of Southeast Asia, Tanbats themselves were the main draw. Bat meat, LapTadarida plicata is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. according to local tradition, made a body strong. However, with its habit of forming extremely large colonies— So, with hand nets and small snares hung from hundreds of thousands to millions of individuals per roost—in relatively tree branches near the cave’s mouth, the villagers few caves, even moderate impacts on cave roost sites stand to levy took advantage of a seemingly endless source an outsized toll on this bat species. Yet throughout T. plicata’s range, of protein. caves are under threat from mining, development, tourism, and gen- Mammalogist and bat researcher Dr. Vu Dinh eral human disturbance. Thong, with the Vietnam Academy of Science Dr. Vu Dinh Thong’s work at the cave at Tan Lap in Vietnam not and Technology in Hanoi, first came to Tan Lap only helps protect a vital link in the local and regional ecosystem in 2011 to conduct species identifications at the chain—the bats themselves—but also provides a model for how to pro- request of a colleague studying zoonotic diseases tect more critical cave habitats across Southeast Asia and the world. and interactions between bats and humans. But batcon.org bats { 09 FEATURE Wrinkle-lipped bats in Thailand prevent the loss of 2,900 tons of rice per year.

“The work [Dr. Vu Dinh Thong has] done in Vietnam has been exceptional, and it’s critical for bat research and conservation

BCI’s emergency across the whole conservation grant recently funded a country.” fence at the mouth of Tan Lap Cave. — DR. JON FLANDERS

when he arrived at Tan Lap, what That realization spurred Dr. he found wasn’t just a sizeable Thong, who at the time was one colony of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed of only a handful of bat specialists bats (Tadarida plicata)—it was in all of Vietnam, to set out on a the largest colony he’d ever seen campaign to protect the bats of anywhere in the country, perhaps Tan Lap Cave. He began talking in the entire region. to the locals about the importance “It’s a very special cave, not only of the cave and its bats, but he for Vietnam, but for all of Southeast encountered resistance. Asia,” Dr. Thong says. “Many old people didn’t It is one of only five caves of understand my message that the such size anywhere in Vietnam, bats could disappear in the near Establishing a Bat Guard Myanmar, Thailand or Malaysia, in future,” Dr. Thong says. “They’d BCI’s emergency conservation grant enabled bat terms of both sheer space as well been hunting there for many years, researcher Dr. Vu Dinh Thong to do more than just as the number of bats it is able to and at the beginning, it wasn’t easy conduct scientific surveys at Tan Lap Cave. It also accommodate. Like Bracken Cave in to convince them.” helped him establish a network of local conserva- Texas, where the nightly exodus of In 2012, with the help of a tionists to amplify his own work. Mexican free-tailed bats takes hours, $5,000 emergency conservation Through formal and informal meetings and millions of wrinkle-lipped bats grant from BCI, Dr. Thong began workshops in schools and community centers, roost in Tan Lap Cave, according to to patiently and repeatedly reach and at gatherings of local clubs and societies, Dr. Thong. out to as many people as possible Dr. Thong recruited students, teachers, residents, But by the time Dr. Thong visited about the importance of the cave and local authorities. With their help, Dr. Thong was the cave, the locals had leveled and its colony. He explained the able to relay interesting and important information up their bat-trapping tactics. By level of hunting going on at the obtained through field surveys about the colony of stringing large fishing nets across cave far exceeded what had been wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats (Tadarida plicata) and the entrance of the cave, they were done in the past. He raised the five other species of bats living in the local cave. able to catch many more animals idea of the colony one day being Armed with “bat swag” that included T-shirts, in a single night. Combined with a possible draw for ecotourism— mugs, calendars, posters, and CDs with informa- regular disturbance of the cave if it survived. tional video clips on the bats and their benefits, for guano collection and general Ultimately, he appealed to Dr. Thong and his conservation network fanned out curiosity, Dr. Thong knew that the farming community where it across the community to raise awareness of, and even as large as it was, the colony really mattered: their crops. The urge immediate and long-term protection for, the of wrinkle-lipped bats could only bats, he explained, were more largest bat colony in all of Vietnam. absorb the impact for so long before than likely providing a massive

suffering a collapse. pest-control service in the farmers’ Photos: Dinh Dr. Vu Thong

10 }bats Issue 1 2020 No one knows where wrinkle-lipped bats go when they’re not in Tan Lap Cave.

rice fields, reducing damage and improving yields. A 2014 study from Thailand showed wrinkle-lipped bats alone Hungry for (Plant)hoppers prevent the loss of 2,900 tons of rice The smallest species in its genus, the velvety dark-brown wrinkle-lipped bat (Tadarida plicata) only per year. That volume represents weighs around half an ounce—but collectively, colonies of these bats pack a powerful punch. a pest-control savings of $1.2 In one study of this bat species’ diet, researchers found T. plicata consumed at least nine insect million annually, or meals for an orders, including leafhoppers, beetles, moths, dragonflies, and grasshoppers. White-backed plant- estimated 26,200 people every year. hopper (Sogatella furcifera) is a particular favorite and—as a major pest and disease vector of rice in And because the Tan Lap bats only Asian countries—the more of them that bats gobble, the better. spend about half their year in the Bat-provided pest control becomes even more important in light of findings that show plant- cave—Dr. Thong suspects they may hoppers’ resistance to common pesticides has grown since the 1980s. Despite being increasingly spend the balance of the year in unaffected by organophosphates, pyrethorids, pymetrozin, and neonicotinoids, planthoppers stand Myanmar or northern Thailand— no chance against the appetites of a hungry bat swarm: The diet study found nearly 30% of insect the colony very likely provides remains in T. plicata droppings comprised of white-backed planthoppers. similar ecological services for other areas in Southeast Asia. “They began to understand how This year, with the help and Dr. Jon Flanders, BCI’s endangered important their bats were,” Dr. blessing of the cave’s owner and species intervention program Thong says. “And that it could the regional natural resources director, said the work could not also be a problem for people in authorities, Dr. Thong coordinated have been accomplished without Dr. other countries.” the construction of a simple fence Thong’s close collaboration with local The owners of the land where at the mouth of Tan Lap Cave. partners, and it serves as a model the cave is located were more than Difficult but not impossible for for other conservation projects in happy to collaborate, even going so hunters to climb over, the fence Vietnam and Southeast Asia. far as to put up a small guard shack has drastically reduced hunting “Without his input in Vietnam, near the entrance of the cave where in the cave. Combined with the there wouldn’t be as much research, family members would spend the landowner’s ongoing night watches, and without the research, there night. Simply having people present “the bat colony is very well protected wouldn’t be the conservation,” nearby seemed to deter hunters and now,” Dr. Thong says. Dr. Flanders says. “The work keep intruders off the property. But Though the BCI grant enabled Dr. he’s done in Vietnam has been someone couldn’t be there all the Thong to undertake several rapid exceptional, and it’s critical for bat time, and the harvests continued. species and habitat assessments research and conservation across A physical barrier of some kind at Tan Lap, much work remains to the whole country.” at the mouth of the cave would be understand the bat colony. Among Dr. Thong and BCI also helped required, Dr. Thong concluded, and the questions Dr. Thong plans to facilitate the renewal of a 10-year more work in the community was address in the near future are where protection and management clearly needed. the wrinkle-lipped bats spend the agreement between the landowner rest of their year, and local governmental agencies, as well as where Dr. Flanders added. and how they By and large, the people of Tan forage locally. Lap have also adopted a new “It’s a very big attitude toward “their” bats. question, where they “At the beginning, people didn’t go when they’re not at understand the importance of bat Tan Lap,” Dr. Thong conservation,” Dr. Flanders says. says. “Or even where “But now they understand that to they go every night. conserve a bat cave is not only We see that they fly important for the bats’ survival, but very high up after their own local identity. They’re very they emerge, and they proud of their cave. It’s the only one seem to go very far in Vietnam with millions of bats in At an informal meeting, Dr. Thong, the cave owner, and local away. We just don’t it, and they’re the ones taking care authorities discussed the situation at Tan Lap Cave. know where they go.” of it.” batcon.org bats { 11 FEATURE

thePART stinkyOF BAT t’s been called fetid, putrid, disgusting, and gagging. It’s been likened to the smell of RESEARCHwet garbage, old gym socks, rotting melon, Photo: Shera turpentine with a hint of onions, and several Iimpolite terms this polite conservation organiza- tion will avoid. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, surely the smell of durian—long considered the world’s stinkiest fruit—is an acquired smell and a cultivated taste. In Southeast Asia, where durians grow on trees, the fruit is favored by bats and sought after by multitudes of humans. Yes, despite the pungent smell and the fact that hotels and public transit systems have banned people from carrying durian into public spaces, there are lots of people who consider durian a Researchers are treat and a delicacy. Durian is a very marketable studying the item, and the economics of the durian market— role bats play in saving durian trees—may ultimately be the pollinating the best way to save bats, particularly the flying fox, world’s most pungent fruit: which is also considered an edible delicacy. durian.

12 }bats Issue 1 2020 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS EXPLORE BATS’ ROLE IN POLLINATING THE WORLD’S MOST PUNGENT FRUIT

By LYNN DAVIS the stinky Photo: iStock.com/ SEE D JAN

batcon.org bats { 13 FEATURE During fruiting season, the value of bat pollinators for durian is $47 per acre, according to a recent study.

The Research The result? Many of Sulawesi’s Dr. Amanda M. Adams, BCI’s endemic species—including one conservation research manager, bat species—are now considered wouldn’t go so far as to add durian endangered. to her top food choices. She Enter a dauntless researcher sampled it, claims it’s “not that named Sheherazade, who goes by bad,” and acknowledges she tasted Shera. With a single name only, a mild version of the thorny-on-the- common in her country of birth, outside, pulpy-on-the-inside fruit. Shera grew up in an Indonesian city Indeed, it’s safe to say Dr. Adams’ and spent her childhood holidays interest in durian is not epicurean at a family farm planting straw- or olfactory. Rather, it is directed at berries and tomatoes. She never the symbiotic relationship bats have envisioned that her academic with pollinating the notoriously studies and career would take her stinky fruit. up dizzying heights with the goal of For the past year, BCI has capturing bats in her leather-gloved supported field research in Sulawesi, hands, or that her research would Greater sac- winged bat a large island east of Borneo and lay the foundation for preserving (Saccopteryx south of the Philippines. Governed three bat species. Shera applied to bilineata) in by Indonesia, the sprawling island BCI for a grant to study how bats Costa Rica of four extending peninsulas was might be pollinating durian trees, once lush, nurturing more than with the hope of documenting 100 endemic plant and animal how bats are important to the species found nowhere else on island’s economy. Earth. Today, according to a “What needs to be noted is that comprehensive ecological study, island residents were bush hunt- 80 percent of Sulawesi’s forests ing bats for their meat and not have been decimated or degraded making the connection that bats due to unbridled logging and are important to the local econ- clearing for agriculture projects. omy in pollinating the durian Photo: AM Adams AM Photo: What do we know About bats and their sense of smell? Not enough, says Dr. Amanda M. Adams, BCI’s conservation research manager. We know the ability to smell is very important to some bats, like fruit-eating bats. We also know that some bats use pheromones in their courtship rituals. But more research is needed. Male Greater sac-winged bats (Saccop- teryx bilineata) in the rain forests of Central and South America rely on scent to attract their mates. The male fills the sac-like pouches on his wings with drops of urine and other secretions, and then hovers in front of his female target, flapping his wings to waft Photo: Shera his scent. Durian trees are marked in three groups to receive different study treatments.

14 }bats Issue 1 2020 “BCI-supported work in Indonesia with durian pollination is just one of many interesting research projects in the world of bat conservation.”

—DR. AMANDA M. ADAMS Photo: Shera Shera received a grant from BCI to study how bats might be pollinating durian trees.

and sustaining the durian harvests,” Dr. Adams says. “Shera’s proposal addressed two facets of conservation work: documenting important data and building the case that healthy conservation practices can support local economies.” The BCI Student Scholarship grant Shera received was from a fund dedicated to assisting bat conservation research in developing countries. Shera and fellow researchers Holly Ober and Susan Tang went to work climbing durian trees, numbering the flowers on target trees and setting up three different study treatments. In one, the research team “bagged” flowering blooms to prohibit pollination. In another, the team “netted” blooms so only insects could pollinate the blooms. The third treatment numbered “open” blooms and employed camera traps to record all interactions that animals (including bats) made with unobstructed blooms. batcon.org bats { 15 FEATURE Three different bat species were observed pollinating durian flowers. Photos: Shera

Top left: Swabbing flying fox’s fur with a gelatinous cube (a mixture of glycerin, The research team published their findings in the journal fuchsin, and gelatin) to collect the pollen. Above: Pollen belonging to durian Biotropica in October 2019. Key findings included: flowers.Right: Acerodon celebensis, endemic to Sulawesi. ffThree bat species were observed pollinating durian flowers: the small Cave nectar bat (Eonycteris spelaea), the larger black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), and the Sulawesi flying fox (Acerodon celebensis). ffDurian flowers accessible to bats had much higher rates of pollination. Using bio-economic data, the ffThe overall presence of bats positively influenced the pro- duction of semi-wild durian in the surveyed areas. researchers estimated the value Using bio-economic data, the researchers estimated the of the bat pollinators as $117 per value of the bat pollinators as $117 per hectare (approximately $47 per acre) during the fruiting season. hectare (approximately $47 per Some of their additional findings noted that bats made contact with the stigma (where pollen germinates) and the acre) during the fruiting season. anther (where pollen is produced), often making contact with 16 }bats Issue 1 2020 both, which is crucial to successful pollination. Most notably, all bats “Last year, we funded nine meaningful grants. drank nectar without harming the We’re getting the word out to up-and-coming flowers, which is not an easy feat. Large species, like the Sulawesi conservationists that we have available grants and flying fox and black flying fox, were observed hanging down and we’re helping students apply for additional funding.” bending their heads to access the nectar, resulting in minimal bloom —DR. AMANDA M. ADAMS damage. Dr. Adams, who worked with bats at Tolga Bat Hospital in Australia and studied bats in Jamaica, Cuba, “Last year, we funded nine meaningful grants. Belize, Costa Rica, Canada, Israel, We’re getting the word out to up-and-coming and Mexico before joining BCI, is conservationists that we have available grants enthusiastic about BCI’s global and we’re helping students apply for additional research. She is also optimistic funding. BCI-supported work in Indonesia about student research. with durian pollination is just one of many Lesser Dawn Bat “Shera’s work illustrates our interesting research projects in the world of bat (Eonycteris spelaea) increasing global presence,” she says. conservation.” feeding on nectar. Photo: Ch’ien Lee/Minden Pictures

batcon.org bats { 17 BRACKEN CAVE

field notes RESE ARCH N E WS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE Bracken Cave is located in Texas and contains the world’s largest bat maternity colony.

From Guano HarvestingBy LINDA LOMBARDI Brackento BatCave’s wild historyWarfare of wartime experiments, fertilizer harvesting and, ultimately, preservation

racken Cave in Texas is home to more than 15 For many generations, its value was in what the bats million Mexican free-tailed bats from March to produced. Guano (bat poop, to the rest of us) was mined BNovember each year, when pups are born and for use as fertilizer going back at least as far as the raised. It is the largest bat maternity colony on Earth. But 1800s, when colonists first settled the area. It was Texas’ this cave near San Antonio isn’t just the largest of its kind. most valuable mineral product before oil was discovered, It’s also a cave with a wild and unusual history. and Bracken Cave had plenty of it. Fran Hutchins, Photo: Jonathon Alonzo Alonzo Jonathon Photo:

18 }bats Issue 1 2020 Bracken Cave in Texas is the largest bat maternity colony on Earth.

In the early 2000s, using a combination of private and public funds, BCI and partners worked to acquire another 692 acres around Bracken Cave.

Researchers study the Mexican free-tailed bats

Photo: Jonathan Alonzo Jonathan Photo: that live in Bracken Cave.

director of Bracken Cave Preserve, says recent measurements estimate the current depth of guano to be between 75 and 100 feet in the 117-foot-tall cave. Guano was also later used in the production of gunpowder during the Civil War and World War I. The cave’s bats were enlisted in the service of war during World War II, when military researchers tried to develop a way to use them to deliver tiny firebombs. The bat bombs were never put to use, but they did give the researchers a taste of their own medicine. “When they experimented on the base, some of the bats got out and flew over to some of the buildings and set them on fire,” Hutchins says. Since the 19th century, the cave was owned by the Marback family. They mined it, while being good stewards, until BCI founder Merlin Tuttle learned about the cave in 1992. BCI acquired partial ownership of the five acres containing the cave before later owning the land outright. With the cave located less than 20 miles from downtown San Antonio, it was clear that five acres wasn’t enough to protect it. In the early 2000s, using a combination of private and public funds, BCI and partners worked to acquire

another 692 acres around the cave. Alonzo Jonathon Photo: batcon.org bats { 19 field notes Approximately 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats live in Bracken Cave from March to November.

LIDAR

Fly Through theLiDAR imagingCaves technology helps scientists protect bats

By KATARINA ZIMMER

fter bat conservationists feared Jamaican flower bats (Phyllonycteris aphylla) were Aextinct for decades, it was a welcome sur- prise for researchers to discover a small colony of silky, blonde bats roosting in a cave in eastern Jamaica in 2010. But the joyous occasion was tainted with concern about the future stability of the underground cave, which could be the only remaining refuge for the species. The cave lies in the middle of a suburban area. Not only is it close to homes—which could possibly have leaky septic tanks, allowing fluid to seep through the porous walls of the cave, destabilizing the structure—but it’s also fringed by a busy road, which would exert undue stress on anything beneath. Collapse of any part of the Photo: Jonathon Alonzo Alonzo Jonathon Photo: cave would spell disaster for the bats roosting Less than 20 Sounds like a happy ending, right? But in a last-minute in the crowded chambers below, threatening miles south of plot twist, a developer bought the land on the south and not only the 250-strong population of Jamaican San Antonio, west boundaries of the preserve and planned to build flower bats, but also other species living there. Bracken Cave Preserve spans around 3,500 homes. In order to help Jamaica’s National 692 acres. With the closest house only about a half-mile from the Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) craft cave and the entrance right next to the preserve’s gate, mil- long-term management plans for the cave, BCI lions of bats would be flying over those homes for several experts needed to know how vulnerable the hours each night in season. “What’s wrong with that?” asks cave was to damage caused by the infrastructure the bat lover. Unfortunately, there was a huge potential for surrounding it. They needed to know where human-wildlife conflict. nearby dwellings and the road were in relation to “It’s pretty cool to sit in your backyard and have a glass of the cave. Were they directly above, threatening to wine and watch the bats fly over—until your dog or your cause a collapse at any moment, or were the bats 5-year-old brings one into the house,” Hutchins says. “That inside safe? was just too many homes, too close to the cave.” Thankfully, BCI experts have a tool to help Fortunately, bat lovers won the fight. With the support of them answer that question: a handheld 3D local government, citizens, and the Nature Conservancy, the scanner based on LiDAR (Light Detection and developer was convinced to sell the land in 2014, and it’s now Ranging) technology. The device emits rapid laser protected. The cave is surrounded pulses—43,000 per second—and measures the by a large nature preserve that distance they travel before they bounce off the protects the bats, other wildlife, walls of the cave and return to the scanner. This and the city’s aquifer. “We had LEARN creates a 3D “point cloud” that recreates the cave’s Learn more about a ton of community support, Bracken Cave at inner structure and the above-ground surface. and that’s what helped us win,” batcon.org/bracken In under two hours, Jason Corbett, BCI’s Hutchins says. director of habitat protection and restoration—

20 }bats Issue 1 2020 LiDAR technology allows researchers to survey caves in a fraction of the time previous methods required.

LiDAR allows researchers to carefully map caves like the one researchers are studying in Jamaica. This image shows the cave’s right profile.

The handheld LiDAR scanner has “been a game changer,” LiDAR emits 43,000 laser according to Dr. Jon Flanders, who directs BCI’s endangered pulses per second, bouncing off species intervention program. Without the device, mappers would have to spend days tracking the cave’s circumference cave walls and returning to the with a compass and line, or set up tripods with stationary LiDAR scanners throughout the cave—making it practically scanner, creating a 3D map of impossible not to disturb the bat roosts. Now that the hand-held scanner has proven successful, the cave’s structure. BCI hopes to apply this technology to more caves harboring endangered species to visualize complicated cave structures and better understand habitat needs and aid restoration a seasoned surveyor of bat caves—clambered planning, explains Kevin Pierson, BCI’s chief conservation through the cave with the 10 x 5 x 5-inch device officer. “It’s becoming a default part of cave conservation for in hand, scanning the cave one section at a time. us,” he says. Before access to a tool like LiDAR, surveying the cave would have taken days. Priyesh Patel, Jason Corbett BCI’s geospatial products and data manager, then sets up the used a computer program to stitch together the LiDAR unit. scans, generating a complete 3D map of the cave’s entrance and interior, showing it in relation to the road and nearby dwellings. “From that, we were able to tell that the road goes right over the top of the cave,” Corbett says. That knowledge will allow BCI experts to write up a management plan to ensure NEPA is consulted before any roadwork is undertaken, and road crews would know to stop drilling at a certain depth. Corbett has since mapped around 20 other caves, including the Nakanacagi Cave in Fiji, home to the only known maternity colony of

Fijian free-tailed bats (Chaerephon bregullae). Photo: Winifred Frick batcon.org bats { 21 field notes Three-quarters of the bat species that live in the U.S. and Canada have been found roosting in buildings and structures. Spring Cleaning What to do when you encounter a bat

pring is a common time to find bats in your house. Three-quarters of Sthe bat species that live in the U.S. and Canada have been found roosting in

buildings and structures where they can Brokaw Alyson Photo: find shelter and protection. Some spe- cies like using human-made structures for roosts in addition to natural shelters. Sometimes, these are temporary roosts used by bats to seek shelter from unpre- dictable spring weather during migration, or by bats looking for a new home due to short supply of natural habitats like caves and hollow trees. What do you do if you encounter a bat? First, don’t panic. It’s never a good idea to touch bats or any other wild Yuma myotis (Myotis animal—especially without gloves or yumanensis) roosting in an attic in northern California. protective clothing. They are scared and will likely try to get away from you, clawing or biting you in the process. If you see one bat flying around your house, it’s usually basements and underneath houses. The best way lost and trying to find its way out. Open multiple doors and to avoid having bats enter in the first place is to windows to the outdoors (don’t forget to remove your window seal any small holes or cracks. screens) and close all doors going to other parts of the house. Signs of roosting bats include seeing bats Turn the lights on and shut ceiling fans off. Be quiet and wait entering and leaving a location, hearing chirping for the bat to leave. sounds, finding guano, and smelling a musky odor. If the bat doesn’t leave on its own, follow BCI’s steps to safely capture and release the bat. Go to BatCon.org for Excluding a bat colony more information. If you want to remove bats from an area, the best Be sure to seek medical attention for solution is to create one-way exits that allow the If the bat cannot be anyone who comes into contact with a bats to leave but not return. However, you can tested, the person bat or wakes up in a room with a bat. If a only exclude bats during certain times of the year. bat makes contact with someone or bites States and provinces typically have laws about must seek medical a person or pet, the bat must be tested when bat exclusions can take place, so be sure to for rabies. If the bat cannot be tested, the contact local wildlife authorities first. attention and person must seek medical attention and BCI’s website features detailed instructions receive treatment for rabies exposure. If about when and how to create an exclusion, and receive treatment your pet makes contact with a bat, contact it also includes information on the questions to your veterinarian. ask when hiring a professional to remove bats. for rabies exposure. If you are planning on excluding bats from Do you have a colony of bats? a certain area, but If your pet makes Bats usually roost in “structural voids,” or want to continue to contact with a spaces between the interior and exterior support healthy local TIPS of a building. They can enter through tiny bat populations, you To learn more about bat, contact your cracks and holes as small as the tip of your can install a bat house bat encounter safety, pinky finger. While bats often look for nearby so both bats and visit BatCon.org veterinarian. locations like attics, they can also roost in humans can benefit. 22 }bats Issue 1 2020 bat Spring Cleaning QUESTIONS FORchats A NOTED EXPERT What to do when you encounter a bat of biological samples Since 1998, preserved for scientific research. the global list Bats: What is the of known bat Bat List? Simmons: Scientists species has have been interested in cataloging the diversity grown from of life for hundreds of years. The Bat List 925 to over began in the 1980s as a 1,400 today. chapter published in a volume called “Mammal Species of the World.” Dr. Nancy Simmons For each bat species, it Bats: Do you have helped move the provided information a favorite bat? Bat List online so of interest to scien- Simmons: I do not have it can be updated tists and conservation a favorite bat. There are regularly. managers: common some species of bats

Photo: Matthew Shanley/AMNH name, scientific name, that are really hard to author of that name, tell apart. As someone geographic distribution, who is interested in List Keeper conservation status, species limits, I find general comments, and those frustrating but Dr. Nancy Simmons and her colleagues maintain a list of what other names were also intriguing. In associated with the general, bats I like more than 1,400 worldwide bat species species in the past. best are big-eared bats, frog-eating bats, and r. Nancy Simmons works for the American Museum of Natural Bats: How did the Bat omnivorous bats, which History, where she is curator-in-charge for the Department of Mam- List transition online? I find quite charming. Dmalogy and professor at Richard Gilder Graduate School. Along Simmons: Having with Dr. Andrea Cirranello, she maintains BatNames.org, which is a list it available only on Bats: What fascinates of every bat species on Earth. When Dr. Simmons began maintaining the paper was a source of you the most about list in 1998, it was paper-based and contained 925 species. Today, the digi- frustration over the bats? tal list includes 1,419 species, and it is still growing. Her principal research years. Almost every Simmons: Their interest is bat diversity and evolution, and she joined BCI’s Board of month that goes by, diversity. There are so Directors in 2019. new bat species are many different kinds, discovered or we find and they are the most that one of the names ecologically diverse Bats: Tell us about the years, including some by Teddy Roosevelt. thought to be a junior group of mammals on mammal collection at from parts of the world There’s a large histori- synonym actually the planet. the American Museum that have since been cal component, but we applies to a different of Natural History. paved over or turned also have samples of species. Andrea and Simmons: We have into cropland. This wing punches of bats I decided to start the MORE Check out all the roughly 280,000 mam- includes a collection of collected only a few list online, updated known bat species mal specimens here more than 60,000 bats months ago and an regularly, instead of in the world at that have been col- from all over the world. archive of genetic sam- waiting 10 years for a BatNames.org lected over the last 100 We have bats collected ples. It’s like a library new book to come out. batcon.org bats { 23 Are you a bat photographer?

Bat Conservation International is working to collect images of bats from all over the world and we would love to include your photo in our next issue of Bats Magazine. You keep the rights and photo credit, we help archive and To submit share your work. your photos, please email submissions@ batcon.org.

PHOTO: BRUCE D. TAUBERT / BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL FOR THE YOUNG CONSERVATIONIST

Color by Number

Illustration by COREY SEBRING

Fun Fact! Jamaican flower bats are only known to live in one cave in the entire world.

FILL IN THE SHAPES WITH THESE COLORS TO REVEAL YOUR JAMAICAN FLOWER BAT

1. Tan n 2. Brown n 3. Dark Brown n 4. Pink n 5. Yellow n 6. Dark Blue n

COLORING To print and download other bat templates, visit batcon.org/color Jamaican flower bat Phyllonycteris( aphylla)

batcon.org bats { 25 NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID MADISON, WI PERMIT NO. 1259

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Batty for someone special?

BCI’S ADOPT-A-BATS make it easy for you to share your love of bats with our adorable plush toys.

When you adopt a plush bat, you support bat conservation around the world. Your gift recipient will receive a plush stuffed bat toy, an official adoption certificate, and complete species profile information for the bat of your choice. Choose from Bechstein’s bat, Mexican free-tailed bat, Sulawesi bat, and coming soon, the Florida bonneted bat! You also have the option to add a gift membership at a discounted rate. Visit batcon.org/adopt.

Other great BCI gift ideas include BCI apparel (supportbats.org), gift memberships batcon.( org/giftmem), and tribute gifts (batcon.org/tributedonation).

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