The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve: Final

9.2.4 Bats
The caves at Jenolan are an important
location for several species of obligate
cave-roosting bats: the large-eared pied
bat, eastern horseshoe bat and eastern
bentwing-bat. Each of the cave-obligate
roosting bats is discussed in detail in the
species profiles section 5.
The presence of suitable subterranean
roosting habitat is a major determinant the
distribution of cave-dwelling bats throughout
the world (Hall and Richards 2003). In
southeastern Australia there is only a small
amount of karst, with sandstone caves,
derelict mines, old railway tunnels and
stormwater drains forming a patchy network
of alternative roosting locations for these
species. This gives some indication of the
importance of Jenolan Caves to caveroosting
bats in the region. Although no
communal maternity roosts are known, their
presence cannot be discounted and the massive extent the caves and the sheer number of caverns,
overhangs and crevices, provides roosting habitat for thousands of bats and the importance of this
habitat cannot be overstated. During this survey, single locations were found to house upward of 1000
individuals of the eastern bentwing-bat, and this may be even higher in different seasons or different
years. The large-eared pied bat has a very different ecology to the eastern bentwing-bat. It does not
roost in large colonies, but rather uses the myriad of crevices and overhangs - a resource that is
almost unlimited within the area of karst. The large population at Jenolan Caves means it is likely to be
an important maternity location for this bat, the breeding ecology of which is virtually unknown, thus
further highlighting the importance of this unique area.
Tree-roosting bats that have been recorded within caves at Jenolan include the eastern false
pipistrelle and Gould’s long-eared bat. It is likely that other bats sometimes take advantage of the
sheltered conditions provided by caves, including the chocolate wattled bat and lesser long-eared bat
(Churchill 2008). However, as their use of the caves is opportunistic and irregular they do not require
any particular focus or management action.
9.2.5 Other mammals
Although no Australian mammals other than bats are obligate cave-dwellers, there are a number of
species at Jenolan Caves that nevertheless rely on the caves for shelter and protection from
predators. The key examples are the brush-tailed rock-wallaby and spotted-tailed quoll, both of which
are threatened species and considered in detail in section 5.
Brush-tailed rock-wallabies have been characteristic of the caves throughout history, appearing in
numerous of the earliest accounts (e.g. The Bathurst Advocate 1848). They have seriously declined
since that time, but intensive management of the population means that they are making somewhat of
a recovery. These days they are often seen on high ledges in the Devil’s Coach House and the
presence of their distinctive scats in Arch and Nettle Caves indicates that they shelter in these caves.
The karst is likely integral to the persistence of this species at JKCR. A complex network of caves and
overhangs as refuge sites from predators seems pertinent to the survival of the brush-tailed rockwallaby
in a landscape where they have largely declined to extinction (DECC 2008c). Spotted-tailed
quoll have also declined in the region, though a population remains visible at JKCR. Like the brushtailed
rock-wallaby, quolls use caves for shelter and protection from predators and is likely to be part
of the reason they can still be seen here, when elsewhere they have disappeared.
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Eastern horseshoe bat – an obligate cave-roosting species in this
part of NSW. Photo © M. Schulz
Numerous other mammals opportunistically use the caves, for instance a common wombat is known
to reside in a burrow within the Grand Arch (I. Eddison pers. comm.). Common brushtail possum also
commonly use the caves for shelter, and probably for foraging. Eberhard and Slee (2009) describe
common brushtail possums as long-term occupants of karst in Tasmania with common wombats and
platypus also using caves in that area. Echidnas use small caves for shelter and protection from
predators and numerous small mammals regularly use the caves for refuge and foraging, including the
brown antechinus and rodents such as the native bush rat and introduced black rat. Black rats are
The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve