Lyla Lindsey
Bats are fascinating creatures, constituting around 20% of all mammals globally and holding a unique position in the order of mammals, known as Chiropterans or winged hands. With approximately 1100 species worldwide, Australia is home to a significant number of bats, including around 77 to 81 different species. Western Australia, in particular, boasts a diverse bat community, supporting 37 species from seven families, two of which are endemic to the region. These bats play an essential role in the ecosystem, providing services like pollinating trees and consuming insects. While some bats have a negative reputation due to their association with blood-feeding, most Australian bats are nectarivores or frugivores, playing a vital role in the ecosystem.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of bat species in Australia | 77-81 |
| Number of bat species in Western Australia | 37 |
| Most common bat species in Western Australia | Microbat, especially Gould's Wattled Bat |
| Other common bat species in Western Australia | Whitestriped Freetail Bat, Western False Pipistrelle, Lesser long-eared bat, South-western free-tailed bat |
| Habitat | Trees, caves, mountains, deserts, rock crevices, barns, rooftops |
| Diet | Nectar, pollen, insects, fruit, blossoms, small rodents' blood |
| Nocturnal | Yes |
| Eyesight | Poor |
| Echolocation | Yes |
| Threats | Quolls, dingoes, pythons, habitat loss, fragmentation, disease |
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What You'll Learn
Western Australia is home to 37 bat species
The Gould's Wattled Bat is highly adaptable and found across most of Australia, using a variety of roosting sites, including tree hollows. Another species found in Western Australia is the Whitestriped Freetail Bat, which is endemic to the southwest of the state. This bat is one of the few whose echolocation calls are audible to humans. The Western False Pipistrelle is the least common bat in the Perth area and is also endemic to southwest Western Australia.
Bats play a vital role in the ecosystem, providing numerous benefits such as pollinating trees, spreading seeds, and consuming millions of insects every night. They can be found in most areas of Western Australia, including urban and rural environments, due to habitat loss and fragmentation. While they are important, bats can also carry diseases and bacteria, such as the Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV) and Salmonella.
In Western Australia, the Black Flying-fox is widespread, along with the Eastern Long-eared Bat, which is found on the western, northern, and eastern coasts. The Lesser Long-eared Bat is also present across the entirety of Western Australia. The Greater Long-eared Bat is found in western, southern, and inland-eastern Australia, while the Northern Bentwing Bat is found in northern and eastern Australia.
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The Gould's Wattled Bat is the most common
The Gould's Wattled Bat, or Chalinolobus gouldii, is the most common bat in Western Australia. This species of bat is named after the English naturalist John Gould. Gould's Wattled Bats are highly adaptable and found over most of Australia, including Tasmania, New Caledonia, and Norfolk Island. They are known to inhabit a variety of habitats, from wooded areas to urban settings. In wooded areas, they are mostly arboreal, but they have also been found in the stumps, hollow limbs, and roosts of trees, as well as in bird nests. In urban settings, they may inhabit the ceilings and basements of buildings.
Gould's Wattled Bats are the largest of the genus Chalinolobus, distinguished by fleshy lobes at the corners of their mouths. They have dark brown fur on their backs, which becomes black on their heads and shoulders. On average, they measure about 70 ± 5 mm in length (including the head and body) and weigh around 14 ± 4 g.
These bats are voracious predators of insects and play an important role in pest control. They feed on a variety of insects, including scarab beetles, caterpillars, crickets, and moths, depending on the season. During the winter, the female bats in southern areas of Western Australia hibernate, sometimes for several months. Females typically give birth to twin babies, and the timing of birth varies based on their location.
Gould's Wattled Bats are social creatures. Females form colonies of around 20 to 30 adults, while males live solitary lives in tree hollows or man-made shelters. They prefer large trees with natural hollows and crevices as their ideal shelter. However, their populations are vulnerable to the loss of roost sites in tree hollows and the loss of feeding grounds due to forestry activities, agriculture, and housing development.
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Bats are under threat
The most common type of bat in Western Australia is the microbat, specifically the Gould's Wattled Bat, found across most of Australia. The White-striped Freetail Bat is endemic to southwest Western Australia and is one of the few bats whose echolocation calls are audible to humans. The Western False Pipistrelle is the least common in the Perth area and is also endemic to the southwest of the state.
Bats face various threats, including widespread habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to increased urban and rural populations in Western Australia. Human activities, such as mining, can disturb their roosting sites, causing them to desert these areas. Additionally, bats are vulnerable to persecution driven by fear and ignorance, as well as other factors such as fires, pesticides, feral animals, and disturbance at caves.
The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas), endemic to Australia, is classified as endangered in Queensland and South Australia and vulnerable in Western Australia. Its range has contracted to regions near the coast and north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The distribution of colonies is non-contiguous, and they usually occur in small isolated pockets within each region. The ghost bat selects daytime roosts in caves, sheltered rock crevices, boulder piles, or disused mines, favoring sites with multiple entrance ways.
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They are the only mammals capable of sustained flight
Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight. They constitute around 20% of all mammals in the world and there are over 1,200 species of bats. In Western Australia, bats are found in most areas of the state. There are 37 species from seven families, two of which are endemic to the region. The most common type of bat in Western Australia is the microbat, specifically the Gould's Wattled Bat, which is highly adaptable and found over most of Australia.
The unique ability of bats to fly is due to their forelimbs, which have evolved into wings. Their finger bones are much more flexible than those of other mammals, owing to their flattened cross-section and low levels of calcium near their tips. The elongation of bat digits, a key feature required for wing development, is due to the upregulation of bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps). During embryonic development, the gene controlling Bmp signalling, Bmp2, is subjected to increased expression in bat forelimbs, resulting in the extension of the manual digits. This genetic alteration helps create the specialised limbs required for powered flight.
The smallest bat species is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which is 29-34mm in length, has a wingspan of 150mm, and weighs between 2-2.6g. In contrast, the largest bats are the flying foxes, with the giant golden-crowned flying fox reaching a weight of 1.6kg and a wingspan of 1.7m.
Bats are divided into two sub-orders based on their size: the Mega bats, such as the Flying Foxes, and the Micro-bats, such as the Gould's Wattled Bats. Some bats are nectarivores, preferring flower nectar and pollen as their main food source, while others are insectivores or frugivores. Only three species of bats are hematophagous, feeding on the blood of birds and small rodents. These are the common vampire bat, the white-winged vampire bat, and the hairy-legged vampire bat.
The ability to fly has made bats important for the ecosystem. They play a crucial role in pollinating trees, spreading seeds, and consuming millions of insects every night.
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Bats are nocturnal and hide in dark places
Bats are fascinating creatures that constitute around 20% of all mammals in the world and are the only mammals capable of real and sustained flight. They are found in Western Australia, where they play an important role in the ecosystem by pollinating trees, spreading seeds, and consuming millions of insects every night.
Bats are nocturnal, which means they are most active at night when they hunt for food. They have incredible echolocation abilities that allow them to emit high-frequency sounds to navigate in the dark, catch prey, and avoid obstacles and predators. Their agile flight patterns also help them evade predators like hawks and owls.
During the daytime, bats hide in dark, secluded places to sleep. They seek out safe and quiet locations and have been known to roost in caves, trees, abandoned buildings, attics, barns, and even under bridges. Some bats may also choose cozy tree hollows or man-made structures like bat houses. They are attracted to residential areas that mimic their natural habitats, providing cracks and crevices for them to inhabit.
The nocturnal nature of bats and their preference for dark hiding places are adaptations that help them avoid predation during daylight hours from birds of prey such as peregrine falcons. Artificial lighting near their roosting sites can cause bats to abandon their roosts, so it is important to maintain dark skies and habitats to protect these creatures.
While bats are fascinating to observe and play a vital role in ecosystems, it is important to be cautious around them due to potential health risks. Rabies exposure is a concern, and while rare in bats, direct contact or bites should be taken seriously. Sealing entry points and removing food sources that attract bats can help reduce the risks of sharing spaces with these nocturnal creatures.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are bats in Western Australia.
There are about 77 to 81 different species of bats in Australia.
Some common types of bats found in Western Australia include the Gould's Wattled Bat, the Whitestriped Freetail Bat, and the Western False Pipistrelle.
Different species of bats have different diets. Some are nectarivorous, some are insectivorous, and some eat fruit.
