CONTAC​T US

The BatCaver program is a partnership between bat researchers and cavers in western Canada to gain more insight into the use of our caves and mines by bats, particularly in winter when they are most at risk of White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease of hibernating bats.  Little research has been undertaken regarding cave bat ecology in BC and Alberta.  The goal of this program is to expand our knowledge by placing remote bat detectors and climate loggers in caves and mines and taking fungal samples, with the assistance of the caving community.  Since the introduction of WNS into eastern North America, bat populations are being decimated while the fungus that causes the disease is spreading westward.  It is imperative that we learn as much as we can about the wintering ecology of our cave bats in BC and Alberta in order to develop mitigation or prevention strategies for the disease.  BC is host to the highest diversity of bats in Canada, with at least 16 species.  Of these, at least half are thought to be vulnerable to WNS due to their tendency to hibernate in caves and mines.  Two of our western bat species have recently been reclassified as endangered due to the high mortalities occurring in eastern Canadian hibernacula.

About Bats

Based on the fossil record, bats have existed for at least 53 million years.  Although small, they are very sophisticated creatures with life spans up to 40 years, making them the longest-lived mammals for their size. But they are also among the slowest reproducing mammals for their size, with most species and populations bearing only one young per year.  Bats of western Canada are all insectivores.  They feed on massive amounts of insects at night using their ultrasonic calls (mostly above the range of human hearing) to 'see' in the dark, much like sonar but more sophisticated.  They can catch their own weight in bugs in a single evening.  In the daytime, they will roost in rock crevices, trees and buildings where they will avoid daytime predators, and in the case of breeding females, select roosts that are sufficiently warm to raise young.  At night, they will hunt insects wherever they are found, including along lakes, streams, the ocean, cliffsides, on and around trees, streetlights (moths love streetlights!) and cave entrances.  At night, many bats will fly into caves to roost in the middle of the night, emerging for a final feed before dawn when they will retreat to their day roosts.  As the days get shorter, bats work overtime to feed and put on as much fat as possible before winter.  Many of our bat species will hibernate in caves and mines all winter while some of the larger bats migrate south.  When our bats hibernate, they are most vulnerable, as their dormant low energy state reduces their ability to fend off predators, and reduces physiological functions like immunity.

Where are hibernating bats found?

While research in western Canada is limited, we do know that long-term hibernating species tend to prefer quiet locations deep in caves and mines with high humidity and temperatures that approach but do not go below freezing.   The hibernation period in western Canada generally ranges from early October to late May.  The longest-duration hibernators are thought to be the Little Brown myotis, Long-Legged myotis, Northern Long-eared myotis, Western Long-eared myotis, Keen's Long-eared myotis, Yuma myotis and the Big Brown Bat, but hibernacula have yet to be located for other species.   Long duration hibernators and those using highest humidity caves will be most vulnerable to WNS.  Some western bat species hibernate for shorter periods as they are more adapted to feeding in the times when few insects are present and may prove resistant to WNS.