Bat Brochure - Forest and Bird

BATS AT PELORUS BRIDGE
Bats in New Zealand
A long-tailed bat on a totara at Pelorus Reserve. Photo: DOC
Although bats are now rarely seen in New Zealand, three species of bats were widespread and abundant about
700 years ago before the arrival of the first people. The greater short-tailed bat (Mystacina robusta) died out on
the mainland when Maori settlers and Pacific rats arrived and the species became extinct on its last island refuge in
1965 after an invasion of ship rats.
Lesser short-tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata) are velvety
grey-brown with large ears and a rounded tail membrane. They
weigh about 15 grams, with a 280-300 mm wingspan, but are
rarely seen because they fly after dark and do not usually leave
their deep forest habitat. They eat fruit, pollen, nectar, and a
wide range of insects, most of which they catch by furling their
wings and walking through the forest floor leaf litter.
Long-tailed bats (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) are chestnut
brown, with small ears and a long pointed tail membrane. They
weigh 8 to 12 grams and have a 240-300 mm wingspan. Flying
over forest edges, lakes and slow moving rivers, they catch
insects using their extended tail membrane to scoop up their
prey. Travelling at up to 60 km an hour, they can cover a range
of as much as 100 sq km.
NZ bat facts:
• Both remaining New Zealand bat species are forest dwelling
• During daytime, colonies shelter in cavities in large old trees
• Females only give birth to one pup a year
A home for bats at Pelorus reserve
Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is a popular summer
destination for locals as well as New Zealand and
overseas visitors. The long-tailed bat population
at the reserve is the largest in the
Nelson-Marlborough region and offers
one of the best chances of seeing
these rare bats.
Photo:
Jane Sedgley/DOC
Two unique features of
Pelorus Bridge Scenic
Reserve that probably
account for the bats’
continued presence are
a stand of mature podocarp
trees and the nearby street lights.
The reserve contains the largest
remnant of unlogged lowland river-flat
forest in the region, a fragment of the
primeval forests that covered much of the
lowlands before European settlement.
Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve/Titiraukawa, is home
to one of the last remaining populations of bats in
the top of the South Island.
A small population of long-tailed bats
roost in the forest around the bridge and
camp site. On warm summer evenings,
they can sometimes be seen after dusk,
circling high in the forest canopy or flying
along the Pelorus River/ Te Hoiere. When
it becomes darker, they can often be
glimpsed foraging for moths above the
street lights.
Pelorus Bridge
Scenic Reserve
South Island
Picton
• They usually live for more than 20 years
• During cold weather bats hibernate, remaining inactive for more
than a week
• They see well but rely on sonar to navigate in the dark.
Short-tailed bat. Photo: D. Veitch/DOC
Pelorus River. Photo: Brian Lloyd
Two bat roosts discovered in the reserve are more than 30 metres from
the ground in cavities in the trunks of large podocarps. These roosts
offer some protection from predators because the trees have smooth
trunks with no branches for the first 20 to 30 metres.
The street lights close to Pelorus Bridge provide a convenient foraging
area for the bats. They can be seen searching above the lights for moths
and other flying insects almost continuously during summer nights.