Summer 2009 - Perth Zoo

New Ghostly Arrivals
Born on 27 October and 2
November, two Ghost Bat pups
have joined the colony in the
Nocturnal House.
Perth Zoo received its first Ghost
Bats in 1977 from the isolated Pilbara
population, making Perth Zoo the
only institution to hold bats of this
origin. Ghost Bats inhabit northern
Western Australia, Northern Territory
and Queensland.
This breeding season, Perth Zoo staff
discovered something new. The
gestation period for the Ghost Bat is
actually a lot longer than previously
documented, being at least 99–105
days rather than 77–84 days. This
allowed staff to increase the diet of
the pregnant female to accommodate
the young, and closly observe her
toward the end of gestation.
Perth Zoo staff worked hard to
provide the right conditions for
breeding, which includes an ideal
cave temperature of 27–29°C and
ensuring male and female bats are
paired in time for the breeding
season between May and August.
Once they have mated, the sexes are
separated into two exhibits.
“They are a territorial species and it’s
important to provide an area for the
weaned infants so they can gain
independence and avoid competition
between older males while they are
still maturing,” says Australian Fauna
keeper Michael Cranley.
“It’s the first time in many years that
we’ve had two offspring in one
breeding season. Next year, cameras
will be set up to more accurately
pinpoint their mating habits. Maybe
we’ll even capture a birth on film.”
At the moment the sex of the two
Ghost Bat pups cannot be easily
determined. It is not until they reach
about two years of age that it
becomes easier to tell male and
female Ghost Bats apart. The pups
will start flying at seven weeks of age
and will be weaned at about five
months of age.
Ghost Bats are named for their pale
appearance and the ghost-like
silhouette they make against the
moon as they fly. Large colonies of
bats, once numbering more than a
thousand, inhabit the sandstone cliffs,
abandoned mines and deep limestone
caves of northern Australia. Now the
largest colonies only include about
200 Ghost Bats.
Classified as a vulnerable species,
there are only about 5,000 Ghost Bats
left in the wild due to changes in
habitat and the destruction of the
caves and mine shafts in which the
bats live.
You can make a home for bats by
building or buying a bat box and
installing it on your property. Australia
is home to over 90 bat species and
many have adapted to urban living by
roosting in human-made structures
such as buildings, garages and sheds.
If you don’t mind having a resident bat
in your garage or shed, ensure there is
a clear flight path by removing any
overhanging branches or wire. Visit
for more information on how to make
your garden bat-friendly.
Did You Know?
The Ghost Bat is Australia’s only carnivorous bat and, like other bats, uses
echolocation to hunt insects, small mammals, birds, reptiles and even
other bats. By making high-pitched sounds and using the length of time
the sound takes to echo back, the bat determines how far away its prey
is and in which direction it is moving.
Summer 2009/10 | newspaw s
15
Photo: Arthur Ferguson