Objectives: Students will study
bats in their own neighborhood and learn about bat habitats and
feeding habits.
Related Web-Activity: Mammals
of Flight
Subjects: Biology, Ecology
ELRS: Mathematics 1.1, 1.2; Science
1.2, 1.3, 3.1
Size: Whole class to individual
Setting: Outside
Duration: One hour at dusk in summer
Materials: Timer, writing tablet
Procedure
Decide on a course to walk around your neighborhood which will
take thirty minutes of total walking time. Choose a route in close
proximity to water and near a wooded area if possible.
Begin your walk shortly after sundown, before it is too dark to
see the sky. Every five minutes stop for two minutes, look up and
count each bat that you see. Record your location, a brief description
of the habitat (including the trees, buildings, water sources and
insects you encounter), and the number of bats detected. You will
need to estimate the number of bats, because they can weave in and
out among each other and the trees, which makes them tricky to isolate.
You may note that bats dart irregularly and sometimes emit a weak
clicking sound. This clicking sound is not their echolocation, but
rather another vocalization that is within the range of human hearing.
When you return home, review your data and see if you can make
any comparisons between habitat types and the number of bats detected.
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