All About Bats!
Last October, Whitewater Preserve was host to a bat study by PhD candidate Joey Curti! Curti works through a partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Genetics Research Laboratory to more accurately assess bat connectivity and genetic health.
Curti focused his research at Whitewater Preserve on a bat called the Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis), a tiny bat with a big attitude. Curti uses a system of mist nets to catch the bats for study. These are large, very fine meshed nets that the bats fly into, harmlessly catching them. Curti took many precautions for the health of the bats, including wearing a mask and using sanitized gloves to prevent the transmission of disease.
Once caught, the bat is sampled for genetic testing. In order to get an adequate picture of the bat's DNA, a three millimeter hole is pierced in the bat's wing and tail flap—also called it’s uropatagium—to sample tissue for analysis. This careful procedure doesn’t hurt the bat, the hole being roughly the same size as a pencil tip. Much like a cut in our own skin, these holes in the bats’ wings and tail flaps will heal within a couple of weeks and do not affect the bats’ flight. The entire sampling process takes less than ten minutes, with the majority of that time used for sanitization and preparation while the bat is comfy and calm in a small, soft bag.
You may notice in some of the photos, that the captured bats are showing off impressive teeth! This “snarl” is totally out of fear, not aggression. Though the bats Joey works with are a little surprised, he is careful to make sure they aren't too stressed, even holding them gently (in a bag) against his chest to warm them up before he releases them. This temporary stress the animals are put through gives way to important science that, in the long run, will be vital in conserving the species.
Bat Myths and Truths!
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Fact: Contrary to popular belief, bats are not flying around looking for people to attack. Our flying, furry friends are out looking for food, flowers, water, and occasionally a mate, and they will find none of those things in your hairdo. In all actuality, bats really don't want anything to do with humans, and though they may fly close, they are hunting for bugs, not people.
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Fact: Though rabies does occur in bats, not all bats have rabies, and they aren’t looking for a way to transfer it to humans. In fact, dogs are more likely to contract the disease than bats are! To get rabies, a person would need to be bitten by an infected bat. If you aren't working with or physically handling bats, your odds of being bitten or contracting rabies are between zero and one percent. Curti, as someone who regularly handles bats, is vaccinated for rabies.
Joseph “Joey” Curti is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of California – Los Angeles under the advice of Drs. Robert Wayne and Brad Shaffer and his research is funded by the California Conservation Genomics Project.
