We are very lucky to have in our school community, internationally renowned bat expert, Mr Ian Davidson-Watts who came in to speak with our Year 8's about bats, before our camps into Deep Cove commence next week.
New Zealand only has two native mammals, the long and short tailed bats. We learnt that there was a third bat species, which was only present on two islands off Stewart Island but it has been extinct since 1967.
Both long and short tailed bats can be found in Fiordland and specifically long tailed bats in Deep Cove. They will be hibernating during these colder winter months, so it is very unlikely we'd hear one at this time of year. An interesting fact we learnt was that during flight a bats heartbeat rises to 300 beats per minute but decreases to just 4 beats per minute during hibernation, and that during hibernation a bat will need to go for a drink every 2 weeks!
It was fascinating to learn more about these special creatures and their importance within our ecosystems.
A huge thank you from Year 8 🙂.
Gallery
