Going Batty!

'A Bat Expert Visits Our School'

His name was Mr. Brian Keeley and he was a bat expert. He talked about the different types of bats in Ireland and in other countries. He talked about the ultra sonic sound which bats use and this is called echo location. It tells them that an object is near them. He said that bats wake up a few times during hibernation. If they do it too often their bodies lose a lot of energy and that could make them die. Bats live in attics, churches, sheds, caves, forests, garages, under bridges, walls, graveyards and in old buildings. They eat insects, spiders, moths, butterflies, flies, fruit, midges and mosquitoes. Mr. Keeley told that there are now nine known types of bat found in Ireland. There are three types of Pipistrelle bat. Other bats include the Horseshoe bat, Leisler bat, Whiskered bat, Natterers bat, Daubentons bat and the Long-Eared bat. The Pipistrelle is the smallest and most common bat found in Ireland. The Leisler bat is the largest bat found in Ireland. The Daubentons are quite common and found mainly over open water. The Long-eared bat is quite common and is found mostly in woodlands. The Natterers are uncommon and are found in a variety of habitats. The Whiskered bat is small and uncommon and is found in open mixed habitats. One of the types of Pipistrelle is the Nathius Pipistrelle. It is a very rare bat.
Pipistrelle Bat 1
Leislers Bat
Natterers Bat
Daubentons Bat
Nathius's Pipistrelle
Whiskered Bat
Pipistrelle Bat 2
Long Eared Bat
Echo-Location is used by bats to avoid bumping into things while flying around. This means that they make high pitched squeaks. These sound waves "bounce back" to the bats so they know when to swerve away from things. Mr. Keeley showed us a dead bat in a frame and lots of slides. He said that people who want to protect bats put grids at the entrances of caves so that people can’t disturb them or kill them. We also looked up a web site on bats. There are some myths about bats like the expression "as blind as a bat". Bats are not actually blind. They have poor eye sight and they are colour blind. Another myth is that bats turn into vampires but the closest you can get to a vampire is a vampire bat. They eat animals’ blood and there are no vampire bats in Ireland. The myth that says that bats get caught in your hair is untrue. Bats are nocturnal animals and they are also mammals. I enjoyed Mr. Keeley’s visit and I learned a lot of new and interesting facts about these wonderful creatures.

By Carla Gaberscik
Age 10

The pictures on this page were taken from Brian Keeley's webpage.

Click here to link to Brian Keeley's wonderful site on bats in Ireland.

Mr.Keeley's visit to our school was organised through 'The Heritage in Schools Scheme' which is a collaborative programme sponsored by the Heritage Council and administered by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO).