AY Honors/Bats - Advanced/Answer Key

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1. Earn the Bats Honor.

Template:Ay prerequisite

2. What are caves, attics, bridges, or tunnels where bats hibernate called?

Roosts

3. Give three (3) examples of colonizing bats.

Other examples of colonizing bats include Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) and the southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius), which are not pictured.

4. Give three (3) examples of solitary roosting bats.

More information can be found at http://www.xpressweb.com/~talon/BatsinAz/furred.html

5. What is meant by delayed implantation?

Delayed implantation is a reproductive strategy used by close to 100 different mammals in seven different orders. In delayed implantation, the embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but is maintained in a state of dormancy. No development takes place as long as the embryo remains unattached to the uterine lining. As a result, the normal gestation period is extended, sometimes up to a year.

6. How long is the gestation period for bats?

The gestation period lasts from 44 days to 8 months.

7. What is bat guano and why was it important during the War of 1812 and the Civil War?

Bat guano is bat droppings (feces). Among bat colonies, thousands of pounds of guano can accumulate. During the American War of 1812 and the American Civil War, bat guano was used to make gunpowder, since the primary component of guano is saltpeter – the primary ingredient in gunpowder.

8. What disease can be contracted from large quantities of guano?

Histoplasmosis, also known as Darling's disease, is a disease caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Symptoms of this infection vary greatly, but the disease primarily affects the lungs. Occasionally, other organs are affected; this is called disseminated histoplasmosis, and it can be fatal if untreated. Histoplasmosis is common among AIDS patients because of their lowered immune system.

H. capsulatum grows in soil and material contaminated with bird or bat droppings (guano). The fungus has been found in poultry house litter, caves, areas harboring bats, and in bird roosts (particularly those of starlings).

9. What is the life-span of a bat?

Most bats live longer than most mammals of their size. The longest known lifespan of a bat in the wild is 30 years for a little brown bat.

10. Do all bats have rabies?

Many people do not like bats and are afraid of them because they think all bats have rabies. Rabies is a virus that is transmitted to animals and people through animal bites. A study by the University of Florida has shown less than one-half of 1 percent of all bats have rabies. It is more likely for a person to be bitten by an unvaccinated dog or cat. Excerpted from http://www.Pagewise.com

11. How good is the vision of microbats and megabats?

In addition to their incredible echolocation abilities, bats also process visual information -- contrary to popular belief, most bats have fairly acute vision. They use echolocation in conjunction with vision, not instead of it. More Bat vision Information at: http://science.howstuffworks.com/bat2.htm

12. What North American bat is pictured on the honor?

Red Bat

References

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Develop text and photos to replace off-site references.