All in the family

One of the best things about my job is that I get to sometimes take the family along.  This is my son with a Bahamian Racer (Alsophis vudii).  What a lucky little dude.  He gets to catch all kinds of wildlife, travel to new countries, climb inside cool caves, and experience new cultures.

Gervais's Funnel-eared Bat, The Bahamas

One of the bats we were hoping to find was this little guy, Gervais's Funnel-eared Bat (Nyctiellus lepidus).  This bat is TINY.  Its body is about the size of your pinky finger! 

This bat eats insects and is found only in Cuba and a couple islands in the Bahamas.  We found it in only one of the caves that we searched, but we were glad that we found it at all.  We take small tissues samples from the bats we catch so that we can study their genetics.  It'll be important to examine the genetics of this species to determine how healthy the population is.

Buffy Flower Bat, Long Island, The Bahamas

Just got back from Long Island in The Bahamas.  We were there to survey the bats of the islands to see which species are doing well, and which ones might be in trouble.  

This is a picture of a Buffy Flower Bat (Erophylla sezekorni), which is very common in The Bahamas.  It also occurs in Cuba, Jamaica, and other parts of the Greater Antilles.  You can see from the picture that this bat has a pretty long snout, which is common for bats that feed on nectar.  The Buffy Flower Bat does feed on nectar, but it also feeds on fruits and insects too.  You can learn more about it on the Animal Diversity web site.