Okay, so I understand that not everyone will appreciate my excitement at finally capturing a few of my batty friends on video. I admit the quality is not great and as yet David Attenborough has nothing to worry about but you would have to know that one of these guys nearly clipped me on the head one dark morning.
Ever since, I have tried to catch a glimpse of one of the bats. I hear them nearly every morning but its always dark and they fly past so quickly it is hard to get a good look. Describing the feeling of some substantial creature whizzing past my ear at six o’clock in the morning tends to have people nod wide-eyed and inch away but it is when I get into imitating the noise that they actually reach for the strait-jacket.
Now, after weeks of laying in wait, I have proof. Ha ha! ( Well, you try laying in wait for wildlife with a 55 kilo Presa Canario and a Boxer with a hip impediment!. David Attenborough has it easy!)
[...] Added April 14th 2009: I still don’t know if the photograph shows my morning mugger but I did eventually manage to get a little video of the bats early morning antics which at least shows that they are of a significant size. Look at this for batty acrobatics. [...]
I can’t be sure what they are. I am no bat expert and have never heard bats as loud as that in the Uk or here. I am used to British bats that have a very high-pitched sound and the Pipistrelle type I have seen here which don’t make all that noise.
However, if they are big I am wondering if they are the Egyptian fruit bat that got out from Loro Parque and there has been a lot of bad press for as a potential threat to the island’s ecology and farming. For further info: http://www.atan.org/en/animales/loroparque/murciel
I alos remember seeing in Tenerife News a couple of years back that money had been allocated to exterminate the Egyptian bats. If what you are seeing are some of these then they are some that never got hunted down.
Also for a good description of the Egyptian fruit bat see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_fruit_bat
I have forwarded a link to a bat forum to ask for more info and help with identification though I have half a mind to delete the video as I am fond of the creatures and would not want to be responsible for getting them destroyed. If they are indeed fruit bats how necessary is their removal/extermination removal, do you think, Steve?
It’s a complex issue and a big subject! Who decides what species should live where and what is right and wrong? Animals and plants simply want to live wherever they can.
Unfortunately due to humans most areas of the world have animals and plants that did not originate where they now live. Tenerife has a very large proportion of non-endemic species, many of which a lot of people would think were native here but they are not. For example the Monarch Butterfly, Prickly Pear cacti (all species) Century plants (Agave americana), hedgehogs and the Turkish Gecko. Both species of frog and all freshwater fish except for the Eel are also not from the island.
The island has been invaded by foreigners for hundreds of years and we have to remember that once upon a time the islands were inhabited by the Guanches. It was a very different place then!
In the last century some native species have become extinct or are extremely endangered whilst other non-native plants and animals are widely distributed.
Hi,
Where are you from? Is it a secret?
Have a nice day
GlenStef
No poppet, no secret. I am from Cumbernauld which is a glorious example of urban planning near Glasgow.
I don’t know where you are from but your name doesn’t seem Chinese and yet your link goes to a Chinese website. You will understand that as this is a family show I am not that keen to link to sites of unknown content. I do ‘dofollow’ which I am guessing you have noticed but I also check all links.
Have a nice day DDlinker220v
WOW, these are big fellas. I’d be keeping my neck protected by a garland of garlic scarf if I was you!!