Spotlight Magazine
W
Going Batty!
hen you think about bats what springs
to mind? Do you imagine vampires or
spooky haunted houses? Do you imagine
the horror of getting one tangled in your
hair?
International Bat Night is held on the last
weekend in August and hopes to change
our perception of bats. During this annual
celebration, bat events for the public will
take place across the country. There will
be bat walks and talks organised by bat
conservation groups, wildlife trusts and
park rangers at a venue near you.
Bats are fascinating creatures. They make
up just over a quarter of the UK’s mammal
population and they are the only ones that
can fly. Britain is host to eighteen native
species plus occasional migrant visitors.
Pipistrelles are the commonest British bats.
They weigh just 5 grams (less than a £1
coin). Bat populations are under threat from
predation, crime and loss of habitat so UK
bats and their roosts are now protected by
law.
Many people who profess not to like
bats cite their wings as the reason but
bat wings are actually beautiful pieces
of biomechanical engineering.
Bat wings are constructed in a
similar way to human hands, only
with membrane of skin stretched
between the elongated, delicate
fingers. Bat bones are not hollow unlike bird bones - but they are very
slender and flexible. Because their
wings are much thinner than bird
wings they can manoeuvre more
easily at speed. They are also more
vulnerable to damage but tend to
heal very quickly.
of high-pitched calls and lis [