Little Brown Matt (Bats)

Tuesday night we had the chance to spend the night with Terry Lobdell a bat enthusiast and expert. We started the night learning the basics about bats. There were two main types of bats we looked for, the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown bat. Although the species names are very similar they are actually very different. One significant difference is that they have different hibernation periods. We also learned about the significance of bats in our ecosystem. One example is their use for farmers. Bats provide a way to kill pests without the use of pesticides which, is better for the ecosystem. We also go the chance to see 38 Little Brown Bats. 12 of those were pups that did not leave the bat box. We also saw multiple Big Brown Bats. Little Brown Bats population are declining quickly due to White Nose Syndrome which makes the bats awake from hibernation sooner than they should. Them awaking sooner ends up making the bats starve to death. Sadly we have lost 99% of the Little Brown Bats in Pennsylvania. We were therefore very fortunate to get the chance to see the Little Brown bats.