Sask PCAP

Prairie Conservation Action Plan partnership of stakeholder groups, including ranchers, NGO's & Gov't agencies dedicated to prairie conservation.

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Thank you for following us this week to learn about the endangered Hoary Bat! Happy Halloween!

#SARSweetTweet #naturesask #saskparks #nature4all #agmorethanever #saskwildlife #keepsaskwild #conservation #bats #halloween #rangeninja #IYRP

Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ Barbol

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Human made sounds are impacting bat species, like the Hoary Bat! The sounds from cars and machinery can affect bat communication with each other or their ability to use echolocation to locate prey.
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Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ Forest and Kim Starr

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Long-lived species like the Hoary Bat (can live for up to 15 years!) are bioaccumulators. This means that because they eat of a lot insects & each insect has a tiny amount of a toxin in it, that over time, these toxins accumulate in them.
Image: freshwaterconservationcanada

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary Bats use wetlands to hunt & drink. Algal blooms of toxic cyanobacteria from runoff can large mortality events for bat species. Personal care products & pharmaceuticals can also find their way into waterbodies & impact bat species!
Image: FlickrCreativeCommons/ Joshua Mayer

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Historical accounts from early 1900-1950 suggest the Hoary Bat was found in flocks of over 100 individuals migrating. Unfortunately, there have been no recent accounts of large flocks. Acoustic data suggests population declines.

Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ Jerry Oldenettel

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

In order for scientists to monitor bat populations, they use a variety of methods. Mist netting , counting bats as they emerge from their roost at sunset, guano traps or thermal imaging can all be used
#SARSweetTweet #bats #saskparks #saskwildlife

Image: https://t.co/B1NgaTL2Xk

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

FunFact: Hoary Bats are the only bats in North America that have two pairs of nipples to be able to feed their young!

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Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ Jerry Oldenettel

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary bats are adventurous! They have been known to forage for food, up to 20km away from their roost!

#SARSweetTweet #naturesask #saskparks #nature4all #agmorethanever #saskwildlife #keepsaskwild #conservation #bats #halloween #rangeninja #IYRP #yqr #yxe #pcapprairie

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Over the past few years, climate change has increased the forest fire frequency and intensity. This has reduced the amount of available habitat for bats like the Hoary Bat.

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[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Unfortunately, migrating Hoary Bats maybe become casualties of wind energy facilities. Scientists think they may mistake the turbine for a tall tree and then get drawn in.

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Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ SaskPower

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Windfarms attract insects, which in turn attract bats to feed. Constructing wind farms near migratory stopover sites can impact migrating critters. @CWF_FCF has resources about windfarms for wildlife:
https://t.co/m33fPOKcRu
FlickrCreativeCommons/ windturbinegreenenergy futures

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary Bats mate in the summer. Females store sperm over the winter. After 80-90 days of gestation, 1 to 2 pups are born in late June. Like other mammals, the mama bat will nurse her young.
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Image: FlickrCreativeCommons/ Tom Benson

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Scientists have a lot to learn about Hoary Bats! Hoary Bats migrate to the Southern USA but their routes are not known. They hibernate in the winter, but again these locations are not known.
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FlickrCreativeCommons/ Bryant Olsen

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Wild about Bats? Everything you wanted to know about prairie bats! Find out in our past webinar by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada

https://t.co/saUERC9LHp
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Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ Tom Benson

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary bats need foliage to roost. This provides protection from predators and allows them to safely raise young. South face trees allow bats to warm up in the sun. Hoary bats may use several trees during the breeding season &may return to the same trees, year after year.

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary Bats and other migratory bats have a few different habitat needs. In the summer, they need open habitats like lakes, meadows or grasslands to forage and drink. They also need treed sites to roost.

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[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Researchers have a tough job searching for bats! Acoustic detectors are used to survey for which bats may occur. But bat species can confuse these detectors with similar vocalizations! As acoustic detection isn’t perfect, visual observation is best!
Image: NationalParkService

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary Bats are known to roost in trees. However, large expanses of open prairie are important for them to breed & migrate. They may use trees associated with rural towns across the prairies.
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Image: FlickrCreativeCommons/Tom Benson

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Saskatchewan is home to many migratory bat species! Learn about them in our past webinar by Erin Swerdfeger here:
https://t.co/WjjLn3CWCn

#SARSweetTweet #naturesask #saskparks #nature4all #agmorethanever #saskwildlife #keepsaskwild
Image: Flickr Creative Commons/ nessie grace

[Sask PCAP @SaskPCAP]

Hoary Bats live in Canada in the summer months. Like other bat species, they migrate long distances to the coastal areas of USA and Mexico.

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Image: COSEWIC