Releasing the ghosts of Drovers Cave: A reintroduction feasibility study of captive-born ghost bats (Macroderma gigas saturata) into the wild.
Alba Arteaga Claramunt
1. Introductory statement
Almost a quarter of all bat species in the world are in danger of extinction and the ghost bat, Macroderma gigas, is on this list (Dobson, 1880; Ruffell, Guilbert & Parsons, 2009a). There are less than 10,000 ghost bats living in Australia and only 1,000 of them remain in Western Australia (Hutson, Mickleburgh & Racey, 2001) and thus it is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN (McKenzie & Hall, 2008) and as Priority Four Fauna in Western Australia on the Department of Parks and Wildlife Priority Fauna List (2014). There are many underlying causes contributing to the dramatic population decline of this species and the lack of suitable roost caves …show more content…
Despite being a large bat species its metabolism is sensitive to thermal fluctuations (Baudinette et al., 2000). They are capable of maintaining a constant body temperature above 35ºC even with ambient temperatures close to zero; however, below 20ºC their metabolism triggers stress responses to compensate oxygen demands (Hudson & Wilson, 1986). Thermal changes represent an issue, especially for females that require specific temperatures during pregnancy and lactation (Hutson et al., 2001). It is not surprising then the fact that females tend to roost in large caves with narrow entrances where the internal conditions of the cave are warmer, humid and more constant (Armstrong & Anstee, 2000). This implies that the distribution of this species is subjected to different factors and thus, roost sites might not be fixed, but rather temporary (Hutson et al., 2001). Taking into consideration all these ecological and biological needs is necessary for the conservation of ghost
Alba Arteaga Claramunt
1. Introductory statement
Almost a quarter of all bat species in the world are in danger of extinction and the ghost bat, Macroderma gigas, is on this list (Dobson, 1880; Ruffell, Guilbert & Parsons, 2009a). There are less than 10,000 ghost bats living in Australia and only 1,000 of them remain in Western Australia (Hutson, Mickleburgh & Racey, 2001) and thus it is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN (McKenzie & Hall, 2008) and as Priority Four Fauna in Western Australia on the Department of Parks and Wildlife Priority Fauna List (2014). There are many underlying causes contributing to the dramatic population decline of this species and the lack of suitable roost caves …show more content…
Despite being a large bat species its metabolism is sensitive to thermal fluctuations (Baudinette et al., 2000). They are capable of maintaining a constant body temperature above 35ºC even with ambient temperatures close to zero; however, below 20ºC their metabolism triggers stress responses to compensate oxygen demands (Hudson & Wilson, 1986). Thermal changes represent an issue, especially for females that require specific temperatures during pregnancy and lactation (Hutson et al., 2001). It is not surprising then the fact that females tend to roost in large caves with narrow entrances where the internal conditions of the cave are warmer, humid and more constant (Armstrong & Anstee, 2000). This implies that the distribution of this species is subjected to different factors and thus, roost sites might not be fixed, but rather temporary (Hutson et al., 2001). Taking into consideration all these ecological and biological needs is necessary for the conservation of ghost