<
https://theconversation.com/one-of-australias-tiniest-mammals-is-heading-for-extinction-but-you-can-help-183233>
"They weigh around 15 grams, the same as a 50 cent coin. They devour vast
quantities of insects. And they’re in real trouble.
Our new research has found the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat is
continuing to decline. Its populations are centred on just three “maternity”
caves in southeast South Australia and southwest Victoria, where the bats give
birth and raise their young. At night, mothers leave their pups clustered in a
“creche” on the cave ceiling while they head out to hunt for moths, including
agricultural pest species. These beautiful bats have already lost 90% of the
natural vegetation in their range due to land clearing. Now they face a drying
climate.
Our research tracked thousands of these bats and found new mother bats and
their young were not surviving well, especially in drought conditions. Our
modelling shows they will be near extinct within 36 years, with declines of up
to 97%. That’s just three generations of bat.
To stop them following other species into extinction, these bats need urgent
action."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
