Vampire Bats Can Run!

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Ghosts! Ha ha ha! I'd have told him 'Bats? Nope, no bats here!'

I was out with my dog ages ago and the minister here stopped to pet him. I was talking away to him about something or other, and he's got quite woolly hair as a note of interest. A bit like the minister in Postman Pat, whose name escapes me:



A bat must have got it's toe caught in his woolly hair as it went past, because it was there getting more and more ensnared in said wool while he was flapping and whooping like there was no tomorrow. The harder you try not to laugh the worse it always is.
Like you say, very, very funny! I'd forgotten about that, thank you very much indeed for reminding me.

a reply to: Observer1

Aaw! Flatbat.

There's another species of bat, the Lesser short-tailed bat, from New Zealand that spends a lot of time on the ground. They live in burrows in the ground instead of roosts in trees and caves and eat grubs and other ground insects. They can and do fly, but spend more time walking. There were no natural predators until recently. Cats, rats and other invasives brought in by humans have been causing their populations to decline.



Bats appear at 1:25

Just don't play bad music around them

youtu.be...

I love bats! We have lost many around here due to a fungus I believe it was white nose syndrome? I would love to see one of those huge bats especially the flying foxes. WOW!!!!!

a reply to: dug88

Thanks dug, I hope they become a protected species like over here. It would be a shame to lose them. I've never seen them all walking like that before, that's incredible.

a reply to: Shaded27

That's hilarious! That'll teach him for his impromtu Kumbaya or whatever!

a reply to: Night Star

I hope they start to get better soon. I'm quite fond of bats too - I just never want to be outrun by one!

a reply to: Zaphod58

Does pago Pago have an AF Base? I know the US has a naval base there but I didn't know they also had a AF base in the samoas.

a reply to: darkbake

Yes, I was once alone in a zoo exhibit just days after a major flying fox enclosure was installed, and the flying fox bats gave me the feeling, looking into their eyes and "hanging out" (pun untended) with them, that they were very very intelligent and aware of their surroundings, very gentle vibe from each of them. That memory has stayed with me since, a nice commune with nature and our fellow earthdwellers.

originally posted by: Night Star
I love bats! We have lost many around here due to a fungus I believe it was white nose syndrome? I would love to see one of those huge bats especially the flying foxes. WOW!!!!!

In SE asia,I was laughed at more than once by the locals when fruit bats would swoop overhead and round the street lights.
I would jump to cover,and everyone would take the micky out of me.
Its like a bunch of eagles flying within centimeters of your head-Nothing like my friendly local bats in the UK.

Creatures,bigger than small dogs,flying through the air near my head,squeaking and flapping...I am not ashamed to admit they freaked me out big time at first.

But when I learned more about them,I started to respect this species in a big way,and I was no longer fearful of them.
They are intelligent and organised.
They operate as would highly trained human soldiers.
They are real survivors.

Long live Bats!

I could've gone my whole life without having that mental picture in my mind Luckily i'm good at dropkicks. Just discovered this thread by accident,very interesting info.

a reply to: Raxoxane

Glad you called in, and you can thank me later for the megabat nightmares.

Hope all is good with you,

B x

a reply to: beansidhe

DOGGY!
Those are herbivores ,nothing to fear..kind of cute when you get a good look.

a reply to: cavtrooper7



It's hard not to love a face like that! It's just the big swoopy ones that are a bit scary.

a reply to: beansidhe

I IS when he chawing on your leg a tad.

originally posted by: beansidhe
Happy New Year ATS – here’s an interesting fact to start off 2015. I just discovered this and thought that some of you might like this article too.

Them running is the least of your worries, the fact they fly and can reach much higher speeds when flying.

a reply to: johndeere2020

Look at this! Who knew?
Aaargh.

What is the top speed a bat can fly?

You won’t believe how fast bats can fly! The Mexican free-tailed bat, a species found here in the United States,
can fly 40 mph, and when it’s diving in flight, it has been recorded at speeds of up to 80 mph!

batslive.pwnet.org...&A.pdf