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Bonaire Nature & Nature Organizations: Bat Pictures
Bonaire Talk: Bonaire Nature & Nature Organizations: The Bats of Bonaire: Bat Pictures
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Muller on Monday, March 5, 2001 - 4:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Here are some pictures of Bonaire bats that I took yesterday. I am guessing that they are lesser long nosed bats but I will get a definite confirmation later tonight. Sorry that the quality of the pictures is not that great. I hadn't gone out planning to take bat pics!

bat bat 2

2 bats bats

bat 3

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dara Walter on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 12:43 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Obviously these guys are "squatting" in someone's rafters....all of our bats are hibernating in the caves by the river, but I guess the southern variety is active all year.....the last photo sets me in mind of the children's story "Stellaluna"
Thx for the pix, I was beginning to think we should rename the subject "Bats and Batoids" :-)
bat

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hazel Scharosch on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 11:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

GREAT photos, Ellen! It appears the bats are sharing their roost with some sort of wasp - check out the left side of the last photo.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By sherry baker on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 2:34 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

are these the nice little creatures that eat up the no see ums and mosquitos??

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Muller on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 2:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

These bats have been living for many years in an old abandoned kunuku house. They share the house with lots of bees and wasps. I guess you could call this house "The Pollinators Inn".

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Muller on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 3:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sherry, the long nosed bats are primarily nectar feeders. They are crucial to the pollination of the cactus, agave and fruit trees on the island.

The Palla's Mastiff bat is one of Bonaire's most valuable insect eating bats. These are usually the ones that you see flying around in the early evening as the sun goes down. Just one of these bats can consume between 600 to 3,000 mosquitos in an hour.(from The Bonaire reporter)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By sherry baker on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 5:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

i love the bats that eat those pesky blood sucking mosquitos.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 8:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ellen, your photos are AWESOME. Did you use the video camera again?

With the snow at 2-1/5 feet and climbing up over my back door, it's so nice to go back and look at the photo you took of Alan and me on the hammock at Bonaire Town Homes!!! Thanks for such a nice little gift!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fiona Rattray on Tuesday, March 6, 2001 - 11:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Great photos!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Muller on Friday, March 16, 2001 - 10:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yes, Josie, I used the same camera.

I have gotten an id on these bats as long-tongued bats as opposed to the long-nosed bat. Both of these bats are from the same family of leaf-nosed bats and their appearance and feeding habits are very similar.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerri Freeman on Friday, March 16, 2001 - 10:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ellen, someplace I put a question (I can't find it either, don't worry) about the nose which appears to have a 'flap". Is it a flexible thing? Is it to "sharpen" scent that it takes this sort of shape? Or to mitigate for desert air? Or somehow to aid or stay out of the way of the long nectar-licking tongue? PS. Did you ever get the picture of the tree-full of loras at the lady's kunuku? Thanks, Ellen. Boneiru ta dushi. "Hey,Lady? We're just hangin'. What's the deal?"

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ellen Muller on Saturday, March 17, 2001 - 12:38 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Nectar-feeding bats have long noses and tongues for harvesting nectar from flowers, as well as special enzymes for digesting the high-protein pollen that accumulates on their faces.

The short ears and the small, triangular noseleaf are signs that these bats rely less on echolocation and probably more on their sense of smell to locate the flowers on which they feed.

Their tongues are highly elastic and through a rapid insurgence of blood, can be quickly extended for up to a third of the bat's body length.

No pics, Kerri.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerri Freeman on Saturday, March 17, 2001 - 1:00 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Not only cute, but talented. I'm talkin' about the bats...Okay, you fit the description too, now you mention it. Thanks for the education. Sorry you didn't get pics. Must have been something to see. Ellen ta dushi. How'm I doin' teach?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Melissa Drake on Wednesday, April 4, 2001 - 2:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gorgeous pictures!!
Love those bats (and all bats!)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous on Sunday, April 22, 2001 - 7:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We will be visiting Bonaire the first two weeks in November. What should we expect from mosquitos and no-see-ums? What defenses work best?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie on Sunday, April 22, 2001 - 9:57 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I use Deep Woods Off (mainly because I can get VERY severe reactions to mosquito bites), and as long as I'm careful, I don't get bitten. My husband just uses it around twilight: especially for those wonderful outside restaurant meals!

The # of beasties should be pretty low, unless it's been particularly rainy. I've never experienced a problem on Bonaire with no-see-ums, but perhaps I've been lucky.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Thomas L Gruber on Sunday, August 26, 2001 - 9:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ellen-
These pictures are "not so great"? I guess that I would love to see some of your great photos!
This site seems to be an appropriate place to ask this question-
Does anyone have any info about the caves on Bonaire? I'm visiting for the first time next month and while I'll mostly be in the water, I hope to see some other sights too. I've done a fair amount of caving in the US and it would be fun to see a cave in Bonaire. Thanks for your help.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech on Monday, August 27, 2001 - 8:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

One of the caves you can go in without disturbing bats is Spelonk. It's on the east coast via a dirt road. You'll have to ask for directions and a map when you get to Bonaire. It is one of the caves that has indian drawings in it - look at the ceiling.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan at Bon Bini Divers on Monday, August 27, 2001 - 12:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thomas, I also asked Bonaire's Department of the Environment to comment, here is what I received back. Susan


Thomas,

More information about caves you can find on this website: http://www.bonairenature.com/bats/. The section "general information" has a page with extensive cave information.

About visiting, there is a nice cave to be seen, called the spelonk cave. This cave has all. It is on the east coast, easily found because it is indicated on every map of Bonaire.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barry Gassert on Monday, August 27, 2001 - 8:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The reason that you won't disturb bats in the Spelunk caves is cuz their all gone. I remember in 1993 there were a lot of bats in those caves, but many parties and exporation has completely emptied the caves.

So, why not? Go explore. Let's not give them an opportunity to return. It's only the cactus and the rest of the balance. Who will pollenate on the island - the long-tongued government officials?

Enough said by me on this matter.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan at Bon Bini Divers on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 8:26 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Actually, Barry, it's been awhile since you were here and things change! The bats are returning to Spelonk Cave. So we do ask that any visitors to the caves be very cognizant of their fragile habitat. Quiet should be maintained at all times to avoid waking them during their resting periods. Flash photography should not be done. And there shouldn't be any "relieving of oneself" (which, believe it or not is a major problem in the caves). Futher those who do visit caves where bats dwell, should be aware of the risk of histoplasmosis, a debilating respiratory disease that can be acquired by breathing in fungal spores from the bats' quano.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 11:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Histoplasmosis is not always debilitating, it may produce only mild symptoms similar to a cold or flu or even no symptoms whatever.
The thing that everyone should be aware of is the fact that ANY exposure to the spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum can lead to loss of vision via a condition called ocular histoplasmosis syndrome or OHS.
If your choice is to explore caves that are known to be inhabited by bats, be it Bonaire or elsewhere, there are unseen risks to your health.
If you want to take those risks, leave your children at home since OHS is a prime cause of vision loss in people between the ages of 20 and 40 years.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 12:41 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Could you avoid breathing in the spores if you wore a surgical mask? I would think fungus spores are pretty big and could be filtered.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 2:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wearing a surgical mask would not be of much help. There are biological HAZMAT masks that could be worn but contamination to your hair, skin, and clothing is still a possibilty. Which would then call for a full decontamination suit which includes gloves, hood and boots.
Somewhat inane when all you need to do is to stay out of the caves in the first place.
The caves of Bonaire will be a big disappointment to anyone who believes they will be like some of the caves in the U.S. or Mexico
If you're really set on seeing bats while visiting Bonaire there is an easier way.
During the day look for flowering trees or plants like the agave (century plant). Go back a few hours after dark and you will see plenty of bats.
Last April there were several agaves in full bloom at the entrance to Habitat. For three weeks there were bats in them every night.
It was quite the sight and no risk to the people watching them or the bats.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Thomas L Gruber on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 10:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wow, all that about what I thought was a simple request! Thanks to Linda & Susan for the info about Spelonk, and to Susan & Anon. for the info about histo.
Barry-
I've been caving for over 20 years and I'm very aware some of the possible impacts to resident (and particularly nesting) bats. From what I've seen I think that in most cases it is possible for a small, aware group to visit many bat caves without significantly disturbing the bats. I'm not talking about 20 people partying in a cave, I'm planning on 2-3 people taking a hour or so look to see how the cave compares to others I've been in. A visit in the evening (when the bats are beginning to stir anyway) might be possible.
Also, I guess that I should have been more specific, but I was actually wondering about Barcadera Caves, which I saw marked on a map but didn't have any other info on. Anyone have any information about them?
Finally, thanks to Anon. for the suggestion on watching pollinating bats. Will the plants that these bats pollinate be in bloom in late Sept.?
Tom

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 1:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Tom
Agaves usually bloom in the spring and summer months but may bloom at other times. They have a tall spike with yellow flowers.
My neighbor on Bonaire has a huge mango tree that blooms in the spring and is visited by bats. The neighbor leaves the fruit on the tree for the loras to have a food source in the summer.
Caving and bats are emotional issues on Bonaire.I found that out many years ago when I asked the locals about the caves and I was told to stay out of them. I've respected that.
The Barcadera caves are, or at least were, a bat roosting location and a good reason to stay out of them.
When bats are disturbed at the roosting site they start to fly about and expend valuable energy which they need to survive. A female has one pup per year and if the pup is dropped to the cave floor it is one less bat in a much needed population.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sarah on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 5:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ellen, wonderful pictures.. experienced many bats flying in and out of our Bonaire apartment last year.. though I'm a little uneasy around them... so appreciate your close-ups.. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By pat murphy on Friday, October 4, 2002 - 7:43 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'm visiting Bonaire for 4 weeks from the end of October. I'm fully prepared for mosquitos but what on earth are "no-see-ums"! And more importantly how do you protect yourself from them. Pat

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jan Klos on Friday, October 4, 2002 - 12:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

no-see-ums---Bad little bugers---Similar to sand fleas-- you don't see them and most of the time don't feel them---They can leave a nasty bite --I personaly get terrible scars from them-- Most people are not affected by them-- Bug spray helps- such as Off etc.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Snorkelguy {Scott} on Friday, October 4, 2002 - 7:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You want a repellent that is high in DEET. Consumer Reports rates "3M Ultrathon" and "Off! Deep Woods for Sportsmen" as the best and that last the longest and even works on ticks, not something that many products can claim. The more DEET the better.

Scott from Virginia (home to West Nile and Malaria)

 


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