Carnivorous plants, bats, spiders and zombie insects are the subjects of a series of free spooky science webinars hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service in October. On Wednesday, Oct. 2, from noon-1 p.m., naturalist Bob Armstrong will guide participants through the world of Alaska’s carnivorous plants. A Juneau-based author and photographer […]
Wow, do Alaskans love bats! Last week’s column on little brown bats inspired three times the comments I usually get. People rang in with bat sightings from Nikiski to North Pole; a few offered up their secret spots to scientists who might want to study bats. Jesika Reimer, a bat expert and consultant who lives […]
Individual bats emit sonar calls in the dark, using the echo of their signature sounds to identify and target potential prey. But because they travel in large groups, their signals often “jam” each other, a problem resembling extreme radar interference. How do bats overcome this “cocktail party” cacophony to feed and survive in the wild? […]
On July 13, biologists working on Prince of Wales Island trapped several Keen’s myotis bats near Harris River. One bat that appeared to be potentially ill and was acting more aggressively than the others was later euthanized and submitted to the Alaska State Virology Laboratory (ASVL) for rabies testing. This bat tested positive for […]