



Bublebee Bat pups




Being it's Halloween time I thought i'd share this picture of the world's smallest mammal! It just so happens to be a bat which makes it perfect for this time of year!
The bumblebee bat roosts in colonies, but as an individual is solitary.Bumblebee Bats roost in the hot upper chambers of caves in limestone hills, just about as far away from the entrance as possible so that the small colony — up to 15 individuals — can fit without the bats being too close to each other.
This little bat weighs 2grams which is the weight of a dime!
Though close to others in its group, it hangs alone, rather than clustering tightly. Due to its tiny size, it has to keep separation from the rest.

If you really think about it, which I do because I have a way to over active imagination, this poor little thing has to go through pregnancy, labor(upsidedown no less!) breast feeding. She has to eat 3/4 of her weight to feed herself and her "pup"
The nursing cave is safe and warm, comfortable at about 100 degrees because of the decaying feces and dripping ammonia-saturated urine. It lies still, comforted by the steady but raucous melee of clicking sounds vibrating through its nervous system.
Sadly, the bats are small both in size and in number. The species was unknown prior to 1974 and is found only in the Karmhanaburi Province in Western Thailand. Their habitat has been highly affected by deforestation and unsustainable levels of teak logging. In 1982, the Royal Forest Department of the Thailand Government could only found 160 of them living in 3 caves, despite extensive surveys.
Bumblebee bats are are now considered one of the twelve most endangered species on the planet
Meow for now,
Catraven =^..^=
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