Research on Bats :: Report from the 2007 Finals in Mozambique

As the sun begins to set and the finalists are gearing down for a relaxed evening of song and beer around a camp fire, the night skies come alive! Mist nets were erected and the wait began. The evenings at Twanana Camp in Kruger were filled with the high-pitched chirps of the Little Free-tailed Bats, and we were fortunate enough to capture an individual, as well as four individuals of the small Rusty Bat which weighs 4grams.

The Bat Cave, hidden in a remote part of Southern Mozambique was once again a highlight! After sampling there last year we needed to return in order to increase our sample size of a very interesting little bat, and to record good quality echolocation calls of the species that roost there. Once again there was very little oxygen in two of the three caves, but the third made exploring easy and we were able to capture the bats we needed as well as find two bats previously not recorded from this cave – Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat and the Common Slit-faced Bat. In total 6 species were recorded roosting in this cave system.

From the bat side of things, we could not have asked for more! Of the possible 8 Families of bats that occur in Southern Africa, we manage to catch representatives from 6 Families including the Plain-faced Bats, Slit-faced Bats, Horseshoe bats, Free-tailed Bats, Leaf-nosed Bats and the Long-fingered Bats.

I am gratefully indebted to the 4x4 Eco Challenge and their sponsors, without whom the bat exploration in Mozambique would not have been possible. My thanks must also extend to the contestants who, although initially a bit wary of these small flying mammals, showed great enthusiasm and were always ready to help…