Bat Migration
Like many members of the animal kingdom, bats indulge in hibernation and migration. The two activities are different, but they both play an important role in ensuring the survival of our winged mammalian friends.
Hibernation
This is practised by animals during the cold winter months when having enough food and warmth becomes imperative. Bats retreat to an ideal hideout where they are more or less inactive until the winter passes by. Essentially, hibernation allows them to gain protection from the forces of nature while staying in their homeland.
Migration
We are more familiar with this term because this is something that humans practice as well, albeit for a whole host of complicated reasons. For animals, moving from one place to another is necessitated by the unsuitable weather conditions of their current residence.
Animals have been practising migration for millennia. Birds, for instance, make it a point to keep shifting their abodes depending on the turn that the weather takes. Herds of mountain goats and sheep also move up to the cooler highlands during the summer, before coming back down to the plains during the winter.
What about bats though?
Consider the bats of Zambia. They will migrate to an unknown place at some time during the year, but they will return to the African country during November and December, presumably because of the relatively warmer climate as well as the abundance of fruit which they eagerly chomp on.
As it happens, this migration is not only good for the bats; it’s also good for the wider environment. More than 60% of all seed dispersal in the Zambian city of Kasanka is done by migrating bats. These seeds include those of several cash crops thereby making it an excellent contributor to the national economy as well.
Other reasons for bat migration
It is clear that bats migrate because they essentially seek favourable weather conditions, and they want a place where they can stay temporarily before returning home. But do they have any other motivations?
Analysis of the migrating Zambian bats conducted by researchers at the University of Florida showed that a significant proportion of them were pregnant mothers, so it is entirely plausible that female bats prefer to conceive away from their home, and that compels many of them to take flight.
Another reason could be that they traverse from one place to another in search of alternative sources of food. Perhaps the fruit bats of Kasanka fly away to the northern regions when the food in their home starts to become boring. In any case, it is clear that bats migrate for a multitude of reasons that are centred around the need to survive and thrive.
281-969-3353
info@sugarlandanimalexterminator.com
Contact us!
Free Wildlife Removal Quote
Brands We Use
Business Hours
Mon8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Tue8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Wed8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Thu8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Fri8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Sat9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sun9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Our Guarantee
We strive for complete customer satisfaction, and stand by our work! We guarantee all our exclusion and prevention home repairs against new animal entry into the home or attic. Call us for more details.