WEBVTT 00:01.201 --> 00:05.438 align:start Bats have been around for tens of millions of years, 00:05.472 --> 00:09.843 align:start much longer than humans. 00:09.843 --> 00:14.147 align:start We have left our marks on the landscape much more than bats. 00:14.147 --> 00:16.683 align:start Because of the hours they keep, 00:16.683 --> 00:21.821 align:start bats are mostly out of sight and out of mind. 00:21.855 --> 00:27.894 align:start But in hand, a bat is full of surprises and questions. 00:31.131 --> 00:33.166 align:start Funding for the Desert Speaks was provided by 00:33.166 --> 00:36.102 align:start Desert Program Partners. 00:36.136 --> 00:39.072 align:start Representing concerned viewers making a financial commitment to 00:39.072 --> 00:42.275 align:start the education about and preservation of deserts. 00:44.044 --> 00:46.179 align:start And by The Stonewall Foundation. 01:20.213 --> 01:23.183 align:start We humans are creatures of the day and we tend to be 01:23.183 --> 01:27.253 align:start suspicious of creatures of the night, like bats. 01:27.287 --> 01:29.889 align:start Still, over the eons we've worked out an 01:29.923 --> 01:33.226 align:start accommodation with bats over sharing spaces, 01:33.226 --> 01:39.265 align:start sometimes a lot closer than we realize. 01:43.636 --> 01:45.805 align:start Bat researchers like Yar Petryszyn 01:45.839 --> 01:48.975 align:start are a special kind of specialist. 01:49.008 --> 01:52.479 align:start Yar's been studying bats for over 35 years. 01:52.479 --> 01:54.581 align:start Bats are much more difficult to study than virtually 01:54.581 --> 01:57.283 align:start any other animal because of their habits 01:57.317 --> 02:01.721 align:start and because of their delicate makeup. 02:03.590 --> 02:06.192 align:start The bats that utilize this particular bridge are 02:06.226 --> 02:08.928 align:start Mexican free tail bats, at least the majority of them are. 02:08.962 --> 02:11.264 align:start And they're called Mexican free tail because part of 02:11.264 --> 02:14.234 align:start the tail protrudes beyond the tail membrane. 02:14.234 --> 02:16.436 align:start And this is a maternity colony. 02:16.436 --> 02:20.573 align:start And about 10,000 to 15,000 female Mexican free tail bats 02:20.607 --> 02:24.244 align:start get here around March and have the young here and 02:24.244 --> 02:28.781 align:start they'll stay here until about October. 02:28.781 --> 02:31.451 align:start This is a juvenile. 02:31.451 --> 02:34.154 align:start It kind of landed at our feet and it probably ran into 02:34.154 --> 02:38.258 align:start another bat and kind of stunned him cause it's perfectly fine 02:38.258 --> 02:43.596 align:start but he's young of the year and isn't out foraging with mom yet. 02:43.630 --> 02:45.498 align:start She comes back after feeding on insects and 02:45.532 --> 02:50.303 align:start then nurses the little bat. 02:51.938 --> 02:54.274 align:start Insect feeding bat like these can eat about half 02:54.274 --> 02:57.310 align:start their weight in insects a night. 02:57.310 --> 02:59.712 align:start And I estimate this particular colony eats over 02:59.712 --> 03:03.950 align:start 200 pounds a night and during the time that they're here, 03:03.950 --> 03:10.990 align:start they consume about 40,000 pounds of insects in one year. 03:11.024 --> 03:14.694 align:start That's pretty impressive for a little animal like this. 03:14.727 --> 03:17.163 align:start After foraging at night, they come back and hang up 03:17.197 --> 03:20.333 align:start during the day and process the insects that they feed on 03:20.333 --> 03:23.403 align:start and it comes out as poop called bat guano. 03:23.403 --> 03:25.572 align:start And you have rows and rows of it here. 03:25.572 --> 03:27.106 align:start And it's very dry. 03:27.106 --> 03:28.975 align:start Just little pellets. 03:28.975 --> 03:31.511 align:start And if you crushed up the guano, you could see actually 03:31.511 --> 03:35.381 align:start microscopically little insect parts from the exoskeleton. 03:35.415 --> 03:37.650 align:start Very rich in nitrate. 03:37.684 --> 03:39.719 align:start Some of the best fertilizer in the world is bat guano. 03:39.752 --> 03:46.059 align:start Bats love roosting under bridges because that 03:46.059 --> 03:52.532 align:start massive amount of cement kind of modifies the temperature. 03:52.532 --> 03:56.603 align:start It's like a heat sink so it's cooler through the day 03:56.603 --> 04:01.007 align:start and warmer at night. 04:01.007 --> 04:03.810 align:start Also these bridges have big expansion joints that run the 04:03.810 --> 04:06.179 align:start length of the bridge and that's 04:06.179 --> 04:09.449 align:start perfect roosting area for the bats. 04:09.449 --> 04:10.850 align:start They're protected, they're in close like that, 04:10.883 --> 04:13.486 align:start they're off the ground. 04:13.519 --> 04:16.589 align:start Most people don't even realize that the bats are there. 04:16.623 --> 04:18.558 align:start They're driving their cars back and forth across this bridge 04:18.558 --> 04:21.794 align:start day and night and aren't even aware of it. 04:21.794 --> 04:24.030 align:start They don't come in contact with the bats. 04:24.030 --> 04:27.700 align:start So there's not much conflict with the bats and people 04:27.734 --> 04:30.470 align:start and yet these bats provide a tremendous service and the 04:30.470 --> 04:34.707 align:start tremendous amount of insects that they feed on every night. 04:38.544 --> 04:40.980 align:start People in charge of some very old structures worry 04:41.014 --> 04:45.551 align:start about possible damage caused by the bats' occupation. 04:45.551 --> 04:50.323 align:start The only way to tell for sure is to bring in the researchers. 04:50.323 --> 04:52.158 align:start Geez, Yar, those Salado people knew a good place 04:52.191 --> 04:53.826 align:start when they saw it. 04:53.826 --> 04:55.495 align:start Yeah, but it's a lot of work getting up here. 04:55.495 --> 04:57.530 align:start I mean it's quite a hike. 04:57.563 --> 05:00.066 align:start But it's also a great place for bats to roost 05:00.066 --> 05:05.571 align:start and also to forage along this cliff face here. 05:05.571 --> 05:08.007 align:start So we're going to set up a big net 05:08.041 --> 05:11.711 align:start and see if we can catch some. 05:13.713 --> 05:17.450 align:start Over here in this dwelling we set up a net that stands 05:17.450 --> 05:25.425 align:start about 25 feet under the cave ceiling and it's 40 feet long 05:25.425 --> 05:29.896 align:start and about 20 feet in width, the net itself. 05:29.896 --> 05:32.365 align:start And we just hope that they aren't paying attention 05:32.365 --> 05:35.868 align:start and kind of slam into the net. 05:35.868 --> 05:37.870 align:start Go ahead and untie those 05:37.870 --> 05:41.307 align:start and we'll put these segments on the wall. 05:41.341 --> 05:43.142 align:start We're doing a couple different things. 05:43.176 --> 05:46.079 align:start We're finding out what kinds of bats are using these 05:46.079 --> 05:51.150 align:start archaeological structures as well as what affect they 05:51.184 --> 05:54.987 align:start may have on the structures themselves because these 05:54.987 --> 06:01.094 align:start are important historic sites in the southwest. 06:01.094 --> 06:03.629 align:start So the Park is interested if bats are having an adverse 06:03.629 --> 06:08.301 align:start affect by depositing their guano. 06:08.301 --> 06:09.736 align:start And their urine, if it's staining any 06:09.736 --> 06:13.906 align:start parts of the structures. 06:13.906 --> 06:16.075 align:start .back into this big overhang to roost. 06:16.109 --> 06:20.046 align:start They're going to roost up high or chasing insects cause 06:20.046 --> 06:23.116 align:start there's moths and stuff that hang out during the day 06:23.116 --> 06:26.285 align:start and they're out leaving. 06:26.285 --> 06:28.321 align:start Well, cliff dwellings are typically 06:28.321 --> 06:32.525 align:start in a cavity in a cliff, a semi-cave. 06:32.525 --> 06:35.261 align:start And those are ideal roosts for bats. 06:35.294 --> 06:36.629 align:start They can climb up in there. 06:36.662 --> 06:38.731 align:start The temperature's stable. 06:38.765 --> 06:42.535 align:start It's relatively neither too hot or too cold. 06:42.535 --> 06:45.538 align:start Same reason that the Indians utilized 06:45.538 --> 06:49.575 align:start the same kind of structure. 06:49.609 --> 06:53.980 align:start Warmer during the winter and cooler during summer. 06:53.980 --> 06:59.285 align:start .lower that side. Settle down, settle down. 06:59.318 --> 07:04.690 align:start Yeah, he's not a happy camper. 07:04.690 --> 07:07.960 align:start He says, "I was minding my own business and all of a sudden 07:07.960 --> 07:16.235 align:start I run into this cobweb, huge cobweb. 07:16.269 --> 07:17.236 align:start There. 07:17.270 --> 07:18.738 align:start All right. 07:18.738 --> 07:20.740 align:start Settle down. 07:20.740 --> 07:23.910 align:start This is a Mexican free tail bat. 07:23.910 --> 07:27.547 align:start We will take them out of the net, remove them. 07:27.547 --> 07:31.717 align:start We'll identify them to species, sex them, check for 07:31.717 --> 07:33.653 align:start breeding condition and then weigh them and release them. 07:33.653 --> 07:35.721 align:start 17 and a half. 07:35.721 --> 07:38.891 align:start Great. 07:38.925 --> 07:43.095 align:start Let's get the net back up, cause they're flying. 07:43.095 --> 07:45.364 align:start Many of the bats that utilize this area migrate in and 07:45.364 --> 07:50.002 align:start will stay through spring, summer and then leave in the fall. 07:50.002 --> 07:54.874 align:start But others may spend the whole season, or the whole year. 07:54.874 --> 07:57.743 align:start She's not lactating at the moment but at least we know 07:57.743 --> 08:01.514 align:start that she gave birth and had young this year. 08:01.514 --> 08:03.316 align:start Especially a place like Tonto National Monument 08:03.316 --> 08:09.055 align:start cause it's lower elevation, relatively mild winters. 08:09.055 --> 08:12.058 align:start But they can stay in their roost in one of these cracks 08:12.058 --> 08:13.659 align:start for days on end without having to come out 08:13.693 --> 08:18.631 align:start to drink or forage. 08:18.631 --> 08:20.766 align:start Usually a bat, the first thing when it leaves its 08:20.766 --> 08:23.503 align:start day roost goes out to get a drink. 08:23.503 --> 08:25.872 align:start It's just like us getting up in the morning, 08:25.872 --> 08:29.108 align:start you want a glass of orange juice or just a drink of water. 08:29.141 --> 08:31.611 align:start And here you have Roosevelt Lake. 08:31.611 --> 08:36.482 align:start Prior to that you have the Salt River and also down below 08:36.516 --> 08:38.751 align:start is a nice little riparian area with a 08:38.784 --> 08:41.254 align:start trickle of water, a small stream. 08:41.254 --> 08:44.290 align:start 22. 08:44.290 --> 08:47.226 align:start And then this whole area's just a rich foraging area. 08:47.260 --> 08:53.466 align:start They have these razor sharp teeth. 08:53.466 --> 08:55.368 align:start Insects have that hard outer shell. 08:55.368 --> 08:57.904 align:start They can chew up that. 08:57.904 --> 09:00.640 align:start And they'll utilize these different habitats in the area, 09:00.640 --> 09:03.442 align:start the riparian down below the slope, and they seem to 09:03.442 --> 09:08.247 align:start really like the cliff face here as well. 09:08.281 --> 09:14.153 align:start It's a pallid bat. 09:14.186 --> 09:19.225 align:start It's blonde and it has big ears and no free tail. 09:19.225 --> 09:22.161 align:start These guys are cool. 09:22.194 --> 09:24.196 align:start They land on the ground and get scorpions 09:24.196 --> 09:27.733 align:start and centipedes and things like that. 09:27.767 --> 09:31.170 align:start Okay, sweetheart, off you go. 09:31.203 --> 09:33.039 align:start Bats benefit from human structures in buildings, 09:33.039 --> 09:37.343 align:start bridges and abandoned mines. 09:37.343 --> 09:39.712 align:start In their journeys bats seem to know from year to year 09:39.712 --> 09:45.318 align:start when people are gone and it's safe to move in. 09:45.318 --> 09:50.523 align:start Well, this is an abandoned mine tunnel and bats 09:50.523 --> 09:55.061 align:start love using these as day roosts. 09:55.061 --> 09:59.165 align:start Some of them are even used as maternity colonies as well. 09:59.165 --> 10:03.803 align:start Well, most bats are nocturnal so they make 10:03.803 --> 10:09.041 align:start their living at night either going after insects. 10:09.075 --> 10:12.244 align:start If they're fruit eaters, looking for fruit or nectar 10:12.244 --> 10:14.847 align:start or whatever their food source. 10:14.880 --> 10:17.516 align:start That means since they are night creatures they have to 10:17.516 --> 10:20.386 align:start spend somewhere during the day and typically they have their 10:20.386 --> 10:24.957 align:start day roosts where they hang up and usually rest, 10:24.991 --> 10:29.562 align:start digest and it could be numerous places. 10:29.562 --> 10:31.964 align:start And that's what we're here is to check this 10:31.998 --> 10:35.468 align:start particular colony to see how it's doing. 10:35.468 --> 10:37.269 align:start And it's been using this abandoned mine for 10:37.269 --> 10:42.375 align:start probably over 30, 40 years. 10:42.375 --> 10:45.544 align:start For the bats that accumulate in fairly large colonies, 10:45.544 --> 10:47.980 align:start by the thousands, tens of thousands, 10:48.014 --> 10:50.449 align:start hundreds of thousands, here in the southwest abandoned 10:50.483 --> 10:53.953 align:start mines have become a very important resource 10:53.953 --> 11:00.493 align:start as roosting sites. 11:00.493 --> 11:02.695 align:start Some are maternity sites where they have their young. 11:02.695 --> 11:04.864 align:start Others are transient sites that they'll use for 11:04.864 --> 11:09.402 align:start several months and then move on and may well have doubled 11:09.402 --> 11:15.341 align:start the population of some species of bats in particular areas. 11:15.341 --> 11:17.810 align:start Today, most of them are Mexican free tail bats and 11:17.810 --> 11:23.115 align:start many of them were young of the year, they're capable of 11:23.149 --> 11:27.420 align:start flying and soon they'll be leaving this site, 11:27.420 --> 11:31.490 align:start foraging with mom for insects, fatten up and then 11:31.524 --> 11:34.960 align:start they'll head south for the winter into Mexico. 11:34.960 --> 11:37.129 align:start And then they'll come back then next spring 11:37.163 --> 11:41.000 align:start and do it all over again. 11:44.103 --> 11:45.638 align:start They do a lot of sleeping but they'll groom 11:45.638 --> 11:48.374 align:start themselves while they're there. 11:48.374 --> 11:50.976 align:start Once it gets kind of time to get ready, 11:50.976 --> 11:53.379 align:start they're no different than we are. 11:53.379 --> 11:57.049 align:start They'll get active. 11:57.083 --> 12:00.286 align:start You can see them stretching their wings. 12:00.286 --> 12:07.660 align:start And nectar feeding bats, they'll exercise their tongue 12:07.660 --> 12:11.597 align:start because that tongue expands. 12:11.630 --> 12:15.401 align:start It's erectile tissue and so it engorges with blood 12:15.401 --> 12:18.604 align:start when the bat wants it to and it can increase in size 12:18.637 --> 12:22.441 align:start three or four times longer than it usually is. 12:22.475 --> 12:23.843 align:start And that allows them to really get down into 12:23.843 --> 12:27.279 align:start flowers to get the nectar. 12:27.279 --> 12:29.849 align:start So you'll see them exercising and stretching 12:29.849 --> 12:34.520 align:start and flying about just like we would if we're ready to 12:34.520 --> 12:40.426 align:start go out and do a run or a jog or something like that. 12:44.597 --> 12:46.465 align:start Unfortunately for bats, humans have a long history 12:46.499 --> 12:50.569 align:start of persecuting them. 12:50.603 --> 12:51.837 align:start For their own safety, bats tend to congregate 12:51.871 --> 12:54.974 align:start in inaccessible places. 12:54.974 --> 12:57.143 align:start The people who built Montezuma Castle also 12:57.143 --> 13:00.780 align:start wanted to live well protected from their enemies. 13:00.780 --> 13:05.217 align:start Today the bats benefit from their security concerns. 13:05.251 --> 13:07.887 align:start Get this set up and we'll the last. 13:07.887 --> 13:11.257 align:start That's why we're up here is to record their activity up here. 13:11.257 --> 13:12.958 align:start The Park Service is curious about what bats 13:12.992 --> 13:15.694 align:start use and how often they use it. 13:15.694 --> 13:17.963 align:start And also how much guano, bat droppings, 13:17.997 --> 13:21.667 align:start accumulates over the years. 13:21.700 --> 13:23.402 align:start And that could potentially at least do some damage. 13:23.435 --> 13:25.137 align:start Yeah, that's what they're worried about. 13:25.171 --> 13:28.507 align:start So far we haven't found any problems cause bat guano is 13:28.541 --> 13:32.611 align:start little dry pellets that's just parts of insects essentially. 13:32.645 --> 13:35.748 align:start Do you suppose the Sinaguas ever came 13:35.748 --> 13:37.583 align:start bursting through the doorways? 13:37.583 --> 13:39.885 align:start I don't think so. 13:39.919 --> 13:42.788 align:start There's not enough room to do that. 13:42.822 --> 13:46.158 align:start Yeah, we're on the top floor now, top level. 13:46.192 --> 13:51.297 align:start And I need to check this room for bats. 13:51.297 --> 13:53.232 align:start Oops, even I don't like that place. 13:53.232 --> 13:54.033 align:start There you go. 13:54.033 --> 13:56.168 align:start It's hanging up. 13:56.202 --> 14:02.041 align:start Okay, let's just work it down to my end. 14:02.041 --> 14:03.709 align:start So lift your end up. 14:03.742 --> 14:06.946 align:start There. 14:06.946 --> 14:11.250 align:start Now, once you've weighed this, then that'll tell you how many. 14:11.250 --> 14:15.988 align:start Yeah, it'll give us a rate of deposition cause we know 14:15.988 --> 14:20.092 align:start the surface area of these plastic sheets, 14:20.125 --> 14:22.461 align:start collecting sheets, and then we can extrapolate it 14:22.494 --> 14:24.196 align:start for the whole room. 14:24.230 --> 14:25.965 align:start That's quite a bit. 14:25.965 --> 14:28.400 align:start Just times that by. 14:28.400 --> 14:31.036 align:start So that's about a kilo there, probably two pounds or so? 14:31.070 --> 14:32.638 align:start Yeah, about two pounds, I'm guessing. 14:32.638 --> 14:33.772 align:start For three months. 14:33.772 --> 14:35.007 align:start Yeah, not too bad. 14:35.007 --> 14:36.175 align:start The most we've seen. 14:36.175 --> 14:39.545 align:start Yeah. 14:39.545 --> 14:42.915 align:start Yeah, when we first emptied this to start this project, what was 14:42.915 --> 14:45.017 align:start it, a hundred pounds of guano we hauled out of here. 14:45.017 --> 14:46.886 align:start Out of the whole castle. 14:46.886 --> 14:49.855 align:start Out of the whole castle but a bulk of it come from this room. 14:49.889 --> 14:52.591 align:start As far as the sites themselves go, there wasn't, we didn't find 14:52.625 --> 14:57.463 align:start any issue at all with them roosting in any of the sites. 14:57.463 --> 14:59.965 align:start We didn't recommend any kind of eradication or anything. 14:59.999 --> 15:04.937 align:start We think they can co-exist well with the site. 15:04.937 --> 15:09.541 align:start And it's good for the bats, it's roost sites for the bats. 15:09.541 --> 15:10.843 align:start Water for the people of Montezuma Castle 15:10.843 --> 15:17.549 align:start came from not very far away. 15:17.549 --> 15:20.152 align:start I used to come here as a kid to go swimming but it's, 15:20.185 --> 15:22.621 align:start I don't remember it being as dark down in here. 15:22.655 --> 15:24.123 align:start Is that why there are bats? 15:24.123 --> 15:25.457 align:start Now that actually has nothing to do 15:25.457 --> 15:27.326 align:start with why there are bats. 15:27.326 --> 15:30.462 align:start This is a great spot to catch them, all the trees 15:30.462 --> 15:33.465 align:start and the insects from the water. 15:33.465 --> 15:36.302 align:start They fly through here and forage. 15:36.302 --> 15:36.735 align:start Oh, so it's a good habitat for all sorts of insects, then. 15:36.769 --> 15:39.939 align:start Right. 15:39.939 --> 15:44.209 align:start Why don't you guys wait here and let me check out 15:44.209 --> 15:46.879 align:start and see how deep this is. 15:46.879 --> 15:50.783 align:start One huge step for bat-kind. 15:50.783 --> 15:52.718 align:start I can see why bats would get confused by this cause 15:52.718 --> 15:56.288 align:start it really does look like a black wig. 15:56.322 --> 15:57.723 align:start Yeah. 15:57.723 --> 16:00.492 align:start This is a glorified hair net. 16:00.492 --> 16:04.229 align:start You need at least two or three people to stretch one 16:04.229 --> 16:06.799 align:start of these nests, especially across the water. 16:06.799 --> 16:09.268 align:start How's it looking? 16:09.268 --> 16:10.869 align:start How many species of bats are you going to guarantee 16:10.869 --> 16:12.671 align:start we'll find here? 16:12.705 --> 16:16.075 align:start I really don't want to make any guarantees in September. 16:16.075 --> 16:18.711 align:start So you rely upon their habit of coming here, 16:18.711 --> 16:23.515 align:start being able to swoop down and surprise element. 16:23.515 --> 16:25.250 align:start It's kind of like you getting up to go to the 16:25.250 --> 16:26.852 align:start bathroom in the middle of the night. 16:26.885 --> 16:28.287 align:start You know where your furniture is in the dark 16:28.287 --> 16:30.155 align:start so you just walk to your bathroom. 16:30.189 --> 16:31.557 align:start But if I were to move your couch, it would be kind of funny 16:31.557 --> 16:34.593 align:start for me, maybe not for you. 16:34.626 --> 16:40.199 align:start So it's not.bats don't take it as a big joke. 16:40.199 --> 16:42.301 align:start This is an ultrasound detector, which is sound well 16:42.301 --> 16:47.539 align:start outside of our hearing range, higher frequency sound, which. 16:47.539 --> 16:54.046 align:start that's what bats put out when they echolocate. 16:54.046 --> 16:58.217 align:start Some bats will be in our range but not many. 16:58.217 --> 17:02.588 align:start And it'll detect it, set it off, transform that sound 17:02.588 --> 17:09.128 align:start into audible sound, which is then recorded onto an audio tape 17:09.128 --> 17:12.364 align:start and then this tape is played back into a computer program 17:12.398 --> 17:18.003 align:start and it gives us a visual picture of frequency versus sound. 17:18.037 --> 17:19.638 align:start And we can tell different species of bats by the 17:19.671 --> 17:23.709 align:start picture we get with the visual. 17:23.709 --> 17:25.444 align:start Okay, let's go ahead and open it. 17:25.444 --> 17:27.413 align:start All right, let's open it. 17:27.413 --> 17:29.014 align:start I believe we are in readiness. 17:29.048 --> 17:30.616 align:start I think so. 17:30.616 --> 17:34.686 align:start .to capture murcielagos. Well, we've got to 17:34.686 --> 17:36.722 align:start periodically check the net. 17:36.722 --> 17:37.689 align:start Oh, hear that? 17:37.689 --> 17:38.590 align:start Hear that bat? 17:38.590 --> 17:40.292 align:start Oh, yeah. 17:40.325 --> 17:41.293 align:start We've got a bat in the net. 17:41.326 --> 17:42.428 align:start All right. 17:42.428 --> 17:44.163 align:start There's the one. 17:44.163 --> 17:46.131 align:start This is a great catch. 17:46.165 --> 17:48.267 align:start This is a beautiful bat. 17:48.267 --> 17:52.171 align:start It's one of the tree bats. 17:52.171 --> 17:54.273 align:start You sort of feel your way across here. 17:54.273 --> 17:57.076 align:start Yeah, you've got to feel with your feet. 17:57.076 --> 18:00.045 align:start Wait 'til you see this one up close, though. 18:00.079 --> 18:03.749 align:start Well, this group actually roosts in trees. 18:03.749 --> 18:07.553 align:start But they're adapted for colder climate as well, 18:07.553 --> 18:09.354 align:start so you can find them at higher elevation. 18:09.354 --> 18:10.089 align:start Wow, look at that rich pelt. 18:10.089 --> 18:11.223 align:start Yeah. 18:11.223 --> 18:13.525 align:start I mean that. you can see why. 18:13.559 --> 18:15.828 align:start Cause most bats on the tail membrane, it's usually bare. 18:15.828 --> 18:22.568 align:start But here it's got fur on it to keep heat loss down. 18:22.568 --> 18:24.169 align:start He's completely different. 18:24.203 --> 18:26.972 align:start Oh, yeah, he's.real biters. 18:27.005 --> 18:31.410 align:start So we went from red to big brown. 18:31.410 --> 18:36.248 align:start And this is a big, big brown bat. 18:36.248 --> 18:40.619 align:start They're really widespread, all the way from southern Canada 18:40.652 --> 18:44.857 align:start to Mexico and from coast to coast in the United States. 18:44.857 --> 18:46.425 align:start Belligerent too. 18:46.425 --> 18:48.160 align:start Belligerent and full of insects. 18:48.160 --> 18:49.995 align:start Hear her? 18:50.028 --> 18:51.029 align:start Yeah. 18:51.029 --> 18:54.433 align:start Isn't that cool? 18:54.433 --> 18:56.969 align:start I have a reference library of bats that I've caught in 18:56.969 --> 19:01.540 align:start mist nets and so I know what those are because 19:01.540 --> 19:03.175 align:start I've had them in hand. 19:03.175 --> 19:07.846 align:start So as I released them, I recorded their sound and 19:07.880 --> 19:12.417 align:start then put it back into the computer and made a file 19:12.417 --> 19:21.760 align:start of that bat, that specific individual. 19:21.793 --> 19:28.500 align:start I'm looking at a picture of the bat call in frequency 19:28.534 --> 19:32.004 align:start versus time and so different bats will put 19:32.004 --> 19:35.507 align:start out different pictures. 19:35.541 --> 19:39.478 align:start Their sound will look different visually. 19:45.450 --> 19:48.287 align:start Bats fly around at night so they're nocturnal, 19:48.287 --> 19:51.123 align:start they're small and they move long distances rather quickly. 19:51.123 --> 19:55.327 align:start So this allows me to be anywhere and record any bats 19:55.327 --> 19:58.363 align:start that might be present nearby. 19:58.397 --> 19:59.965 align:start I'm not constrained to being near a water source 19:59.965 --> 20:03.702 align:start and a mist net to catch bats. 20:03.735 --> 20:07.139 align:start So it gets you away from being limited 20:07.139 --> 20:10.909 align:start by how much you can study them. 20:10.943 --> 20:14.313 align:start It's just another technique to help us figure out 20:14.313 --> 20:17.482 align:start what they're doing out there. 20:19.117 --> 20:22.087 align:start I think I'm most surprised by how many bats are 20:22.120 --> 20:25.524 align:start actually out just over the open desert. 20:25.524 --> 20:27.459 align:start They're flying around and feeding a lot more 20:27.492 --> 20:34.733 align:start than I would have anticipated they would. 20:34.766 --> 20:36.368 align:start Many of those bats flying over the desert have gotten 20:36.368 --> 20:40.172 align:start there by migrating, just as birds do. 20:40.172 --> 20:42.808 align:start One of their favorite destinations is also home to 20:42.808 --> 20:45.510 align:start resident bats in a very special mountain range 20:45.510 --> 20:50.849 align:start in southern Arizona. 20:50.882 --> 20:52.284 align:start These sky islands, like the Chiricahuas, 20:52.284 --> 20:54.386 align:start must be just terrific for bats. 20:54.386 --> 20:55.988 align:start Ah, they're the best. 20:55.988 --> 20:59.258 align:start Probably more species of bats in the Chiricahuas 20:59.258 --> 21:02.327 align:start and other sky islands in the area than anywhere else 21:02.361 --> 21:04.129 align:start in the United States. 21:04.162 --> 21:05.864 align:start Why exactly is that? 21:05.897 --> 21:07.766 align:start Well, you have such a diversity of habitats. 21:07.799 --> 21:09.101 align:start Right. 21:09.101 --> 21:10.669 align:start Down below you've got the desert. 21:10.669 --> 21:12.638 align:start Up on top, spruce fir. 21:12.638 --> 21:15.841 align:start And then everything in between. 21:15.841 --> 21:18.610 align:start And look at all these rocks, cracks and crevices and. 21:18.644 --> 21:19.444 align:start Yeah, there's plenty of them. 21:19.478 --> 21:21.079 align:start Yeah. 21:21.113 --> 21:23.615 align:start Little cavelets, plenty of places for bats to roost. 21:23.649 --> 21:25.384 align:start With all this diversity too that means they'll 21:25.384 --> 21:27.486 align:start have the different species plenty of food. 21:27.486 --> 21:29.655 align:start Yeah. 21:29.655 --> 21:33.492 align:start They can partition up the habitat, forage different areas. 21:33.492 --> 21:37.729 align:start There's 16 to 18 species commonly found. 21:37.763 --> 21:43.568 align:start What we're trying to find out is any patterns or trends. 21:43.568 --> 21:47.939 align:start What I do is I net before the rains and then after 21:47.939 --> 21:52.077 align:start so I net in May and I net again in August. 21:52.077 --> 21:54.579 align:start Get in there, little guy. 21:54.579 --> 21:57.749 align:start Bats come and get a drink of water, they use streams 21:57.783 --> 22:03.388 align:start and pools sometimes as corridors or roads like we would 22:03.422 --> 22:06.892 align:start and so it's a good place to set up a net and catch bats. 22:06.892 --> 22:09.594 align:start This is the big-eared bat and you can see that the 22:09.594 --> 22:13.632 align:start name is appropriate, these huge ears. 22:13.632 --> 22:16.902 align:start Back here on the wing you can see, this is the wrist 22:16.902 --> 22:20.172 align:start and it has all the little bones that you have in 22:20.172 --> 22:24.476 align:start your wrist and this claw here is the thumb. 22:24.476 --> 22:26.912 align:start Right here. 22:26.912 --> 22:31.917 align:start So most of the wing of a bat is its hand. 22:31.917 --> 22:34.086 align:start We usually have more bats before the rains come because 22:34.086 --> 22:36.154 align:start the bats seem to be concentrated at the few 22:36.188 --> 22:38.757 align:start water sites there are. 22:38.757 --> 22:41.059 align:start Once the rain comes, then they disperse. 22:41.093 --> 22:42.928 align:start I don't think we've gotten any Abtesicas have we? 22:42.928 --> 22:44.296 align:start Oh, big brown bat? 22:44.296 --> 22:45.397 align:start Yeah. 22:45.397 --> 22:49.401 align:start This is a bat with an attitude. 22:49.401 --> 22:50.969 align:start One of the most common bats in the United States. 22:51.002 --> 22:52.104 align:start There you go. 22:52.104 --> 22:55.240 align:start Little foot and big foot. 22:55.273 --> 22:58.110 align:start Yeah, these little pips are so small that they 22:58.110 --> 23:00.312 align:start only have a wingspread of about five inches, which is 23:00.312 --> 23:02.914 align:start about the size of a big moth. 23:02.914 --> 23:03.915 align:start Look at this big old guy. 23:03.915 --> 23:04.783 align:start Oh, I know. 23:04.783 --> 23:06.351 align:start Look at that. 23:06.385 --> 23:07.853 align:start Look at the difference, just between these two. 23:07.853 --> 23:09.888 align:start More. 23:09.921 --> 23:12.190 align:start Interesting to see the species, the condition of the bats, 23:12.224 --> 23:14.259 align:start if they're pregnant, what happens when it's dry 23:14.292 --> 23:16.461 align:start and what happens when it's wet. 23:16.495 --> 23:18.697 align:start In August it's hard to catch these bats because 23:18.697 --> 23:20.198 align:start there's a lot more water so they're not 23:20.232 --> 23:23.802 align:start concentrated at these few sites. 23:23.802 --> 23:25.270 align:start Oh, it's a female. 23:25.303 --> 23:27.105 align:start Let's see if she's pregnant. 23:27.139 --> 23:30.642 align:start That might be one reason for her attitude. 23:30.675 --> 23:34.112 align:start Yeah, she's. this is a pregnant female. 23:34.146 --> 23:35.046 align:start 9. 23:35.046 --> 23:36.915 align:start Hey. 23:36.948 --> 23:40.352 align:start Last year we had 10 so we've got. 9 species already. 23:40.352 --> 23:42.754 align:start This is the biggest bat that we've gotten tonight. 23:42.788 --> 23:44.322 align:start Comparing it with the Pipestrels. 23:44.322 --> 23:46.458 align:start That's right. 23:46.458 --> 23:48.360 align:start He's ten times as big. 23:48.360 --> 23:49.928 align:start We've got 28 species in Arizona. 23:49.961 --> 23:51.496 align:start 26 of those are insect eating bats, 23:51.530 --> 23:54.566 align:start two are nectar pollinating bats. 23:54.566 --> 23:57.803 align:start The nectar pollinating bats are very important pollinators of 23:57.803 --> 24:03.308 align:start some of the columnar cactus that we have in this area. 24:03.341 --> 24:06.678 align:start This species is an excellent insect catcher. 24:06.711 --> 24:10.515 align:start With their eco-location, their hearing ability, 24:10.549 --> 24:14.920 align:start they can track something as small as a mosquito. 24:14.920 --> 24:17.088 align:start They tons and tons of insects and we should 24:17.088 --> 24:19.658 align:start encourage that and protect the bats and also the bat 24:19.658 --> 24:22.160 align:start habitat. 24:22.194 --> 24:24.029 align:start There big guy, there you go. 24:24.029 --> 24:26.932 align:start Let's see if he'll let go of my finger long enough 24:26.932 --> 24:28.733 align:start to get a weight on him. 24:28.733 --> 24:31.102 align:start Every bat has a distinctive face. 24:31.102 --> 24:33.271 align:start Some have these little lumpy things on their 24:33.305 --> 24:37.375 align:start nose, maybe to enhance projection of the sound. 24:37.375 --> 24:39.377 align:start Oh, my gosh. 24:39.377 --> 24:40.579 align:start Oh, this is a good bat. 24:40.579 --> 24:42.581 align:start This is a very good bat. 24:42.581 --> 24:45.283 align:start So every bat is different. 24:45.317 --> 24:50.922 align:start The more we find out about bats, the more we 24:50.956 --> 24:53.592 align:start appreciate the vital role they play in a variety of 24:53.592 --> 24:56.294 align:start eco-systems. 24:56.328 --> 25:00.932 align:start And the more we understand how we can co-exist with them. 25:04.035 --> 25:06.638 align:start Next time on the Desert Speaks 25:06.638 --> 25:08.206 align:start The Grand Canyon region is known as one of the greatest 25:08.240 --> 25:13.078 align:start natural wonders of the world. 25:13.078 --> 25:20.218 align:start But a journey along the Colorado River reveals the 25:20.252 --> 25:25.357 align:start human side that has existed there 25:25.357 --> 25:28.760 align:start for thousands of years. 25:33.565 --> 25:35.133 align:start So do people bring tanks and stuff to work in this 25:35.166 --> 25:36.668 align:start kind of environment. 25:36.668 --> 25:37.669 align:start Yes. 25:37.669 --> 25:38.937 align:start Oxygen tanks. 25:38.937 --> 25:39.971 align:start ... Oxygen tanks. 25:40.005 --> 25:42.073 align:start Gas masks. 25:42.073 --> 25:45.210 align:start Another name for Mexican free tail bat is the guano bat. 25:45.210 --> 25:47.345 align:start So the floor is covered with guano and it decomposes 25:47.379 --> 25:52.050 align:start with added moisture and it releases ammonia. 25:52.083 --> 25:54.419 align:start So the ammonia is very, very strong in these sites 25:54.452 --> 25:58.623 align:start this time of year to the extent that you can only 25:58.657 --> 26:01.293 align:start stay in there for just a few minutes. 26:05.830 --> 26:06.965 align:start Funding for the Desert Speaks was provided by 26:06.965 --> 26:08.867 align:start Desert Program Partners. 26:08.867 --> 26:11.369 align:start Representing concerned viewers making a financial commitment to 26:11.403 --> 26:14.739 align:start the education about and preservation of deserts.