Day 31: Australian Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas)
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Boo! Happy Halloween! This bat likes its scares. These bats hunt using an ambush or perch hunting strategy - they hang from a perch, listening and watching for their prey and then they swoop in to grab it. Prey items include vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, birds, rodents and even other bats!
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Unfortunately, this bat seems to be in decline, with its geographic range severely reduced compared to historical measures. This bat's preference for large prey items such as amphibians suggest a role for the invasive cane toad in the bat's decline. Cane toads secrete toxins which probably negatively affect the bats, with even observations of a dead bat still with a cane toad in its mouth.
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Photo by Ariana Ananda
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[Pale colored bat with large, rounded noseleaf, long ears joined just above the forehead and large, black colored eyes]
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