ZooBorns

Nile Bat Buddies Hang Out at Budapest Zoo

The Budapest Zoo has had this species of Nile Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) for over twenty years. These fruit-eating bats form large colonies in which there is regular breeding. They mate generally from June to September, and after a four month gestation, one bat is born -or a rare set of twins - around October to December. It takes just a few months to wean them. As a result of the zoo'slarge colony, there are babies and sometimes a pup or two may need special assistance from the staff. Just recently two baby bats were in need of extra care. They were nursed through the stage of learning to eat solid food successfully and have now been happily feeding on the fruits offered and "hangin'" out together! 

Unlike most fruit bats, Egyptian bats use echolocation: when flying in darkness they utter high-pitched buzzing and listen to its echo off of nearby objects. They use this echo to located and identify objects.

Also known as the Egyptian Bat, The Nile is one of the most well-known of fruit-eating bats. They are found in the wild not only along the Nile but in many parts of Africa, Asia Minor and the Middle East. Males are larger than females. They grow up to 7 inches in adulthood, weighing up to 6 ounces. An interesting fact: the Nile Bat is mentioned in the oldest written records - heiroglyphics - and again were described by French scholar, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844) in the wake of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign.

Photo Credit: Budapest Zoo

Meet Blossom The Baby Bat!

Blossom the bat recently came into care following a suspected cat attack. Louise Saunders from Bat Conservation & Rescue Queensland took care of little Blossom, who recovered beautifully and was eventually released back into the wild.

Blossom Bats are nectar specialists which feed and groom themselves with the aid of their long tongues. They are known to hover in front of flowers as they forage and are important pollinators of many rainforest plants. A baby at the time of arrival, the little bat was fed a nectar mix recipe and the occasional milk formula. Blossom gradually gained weight and began to practice flying during the night. Often she would dart in and out of rooms and even hover above Louise as she slept before retiringto her little brown bag at dawn.

Photo Credit: Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld

Blossom bats are currently under threat due to loss of feeding and roosting habitat from clearing of forests for agriculture and housing estates.  This Blossom was released on Macleay Island in Qld, Australia.

Watch the little one in action:

 See many more pictures and hear from her caregiver after the fold:

Bat Baby Hangs Out For Halloween

Zeke the baby Variable Flying Fox was born recently at Lubee Bat Conservancy. Bats make up one fifth of all  mammals (1,116 species). They are among the most endangered of the world's creatures, primarily because much of their habitat has been eliminated by human encroachment or because they are over hunted for food or persecuted as pests or disease carriers. Their loss has serious consequences for the ecosystems to which they belong because bats are important seed dispersers and pollinators for many native flowering plants, and key insect predators globally.

Photo credit: Lubee Bat Conservancy

Ghost Bat Pup Swoops into Perth Zoo!

On November 2nd, Perth Zoo's Nocturnal House welcomed a newly born Ghost Bat. The pup is developing well under its mother's care. This Australian species is listed as Vulnerable to extinction with only 4,000 - 6,000 remaining in the wild.

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

I Vant Them! Baby Vampire Bats!

Two new vampire bats were born at The Philadelphia Zoo on March 9 and April 7, 2011. Though they ususally nurse for only three months, the babies are still able to be seen clinging to their mothers and are still nursing on her milk, as seen above. This one does look kind of cute and fuzzy in it's own way These bats do drink blood, so their teeth are few, but razor sharp. In the wild they hunt at night --usually feeding off sleeping cattle or horses -- and drink for about 30 minutes.

Bats have two means of locomotion: They are the only mammals that can fly, and the vampire bat is also able to run.Their small but strong legs can reach speeds up to 4.9 miles per hour!  The common vampire bat is found in the tropics of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Zoo

Take a look at this video to see them in action, and learn more about this fascinating species:

 

Baby Bat Pups at Lubee Bat Conservancy

Last year the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida welcomed twelve bat pups, including the rare birth of twins by mother Variable Flying Fox "Charisma." This organization is dedicated to conserving "fruit and nectar" bats because these animals are vital to pollination and seed dispersal in many of the world's jungles. The evolutionary origins of bats are a subject of much debate but they are most certainly NOT flying rodents. Once thought to be more closely related to shrews and hedgehogs, recent genetic evidence suggests bats may be more closely related to carnivores like bears, dogs and cats.

<

A Large Flying Fox pup clings to a stuffed animal

Large Flying Fox pup and mom. Above photo credits: D. LeBlanc / Lubee Bat Conservancy

Rare Variable Flying Fox pup twins with mom. Photo credit: S. Mulder, Lubee Bat Conservancy