Bats need clean water too!
By Cullen Geiselman, Bat Conservation International
How can mammals which spend their
nights flying through the air and their days
sleeping in caves, old barns, or tree hollows be
affected by water pollution? Like other animals
bats must drink water every night. However,
they have the added challenge of drinking “on
the wing” (while in flight). Bats can become sick
or die if they drink water that has been
contaminated by pesticide or fertilizer run-off
from farms, golf courses, or lawns. Since most
bats cover large distances in a night, it is often
hard to determine exactly where poisoned bats
drank from polluted water sources.
The Ozarks are home to fifteen species of bats,
which are all insectivorous, meaning that they
eat insects. Some of their favorite snacks are
moths, beetles, mayflies, and mosquitoes. Many
of these insects hatch out of water. Run-off of
pesticides, fertilizers, other pollutants, and soil
can change the aquatic habitat so that the
numbers and types of insects become very low,
leaving bats hungry. When situations like this
occur, many bats will be forced to move out of
an area because
there is not
enough for them
to eat every
night. In order to
protect water
resources for
bats, people
should consider
using fewer
chemicals and maintaining trees and other
ground cover, especially in areas surrounding
streams, rivers, and lakes, so that dirt does not
erode into our waterways.
Spring 2006
Bats enjoy snacks of bus and fruit! Photo courtesy Bat
Conservation International
Farmers are learning that bats can be
good neighbors. Farmers want to decrease
insect pests on their crops and bats want to eat
up some of these same insects. It’s a win-win
solution! However, when farmers count on
pesticides instead of bats, there can be
problems. When bats eat insects that have
been sprayed by pesticides it can cause them to
become sick or die. Then, not only do bats lose,
but so do farmers since fewer bats means more
pests on the crops and more expensive
applications of pesticides. Farmers can
encourage bats to stay near their farms by
building bat houses, keeping water resources
clean, and reducing the use of pesticides. It is
far better to work with nature than against it.
You can help keep water resources clean
for bats, other wildlife, and humans by
encouraging fewer pesticides, by disposing of
garbage and other waste products in the
www.fantasticcaverns.com
(Continued)
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OZARK ADVENTURE
Spring 2006
appropriate places, and by teaching a friend or
neighbor to do the same. After all, we all share
water resources.
To learn more about bats, visit Bat
Conservation International’s web site at
www.batcon.org or write to Bat Conservation
Int’l, Inc., PO Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716.
This skeleton of an adult American mastodon is on display at
Mastodon State Historic Site in Imperial, Missouri.
Photo courtesy Missouri DNR.
Bats of Ozarks:
Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)
*Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)
Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
Red bat (Lasiurus borealis)
Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus)
Southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius)
*Gray myotis (Myotis grisescens)
Small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii)
Little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus)
Northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis)
*Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis)
Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis)
Eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus)
*an endangered species
Mastodons!
The 2006 Mastodons! program will
include a paleontology “dig” at a simulated
Missouri mastodon site, located at the outdoor
classrooms near the cavern entrance. Here,
students will unearth remains of a pre-historic
mastodon once common to central and eastern
Missouri. This touchable adventure, under the
direction of skilled staff, will teach visiting
students about the now extinct mastodon…its
physical features, habitat and range. The
program will apply the study directly to Missouri
history.
Caving On-Line
Many cave resources may be now
accessed via the Internet. The Fantastic
Caverns site (www.fantasticcaverns.com)
provides photography of the caverns and the
animals that live there, cave research materials,
the current and past issue of Ozark Adventure,
and links to other cave related sites. Another
interesting site is the American Cave Museum
(www.cavern.org).
This site features studies and activities
about caves, karst, cave life and groundwater.
While the museum is located in Horse Cave,
Kentucky, the Internet brings it right into your
classroom. One web address that is a path to
many other cave & karst websites is the National
Caves Association site at www.caverns.com.
Spring 2006
Students work with their hands to uncover historic
mastodon clues. SRP photo.
One common, but often overlooked
feature is that Missouri caves are comprised of
the fossilized remains of pre-historic creatures
that once inhabited an ancient sea. (continued)
www.fantasticcaverns.com
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OZARK ADVENTURE
Spring 2006
The tricky part is to remove
the covering of earth and
debris while not disturbing the
bones. SRP photo
In addition,
recreated
mastodon trackway will let
students sharpen
up their math
skills as they
calculate the
animals gait,
weight and
height. They’ll
even have the
opportunity to try
their skills at
Mastodon
hunting!
Mastodons! is one of three special
educational programs that are designed to
specifically meet instructional goals of regional
schools and scouting groups. This 90-minute
program is presented by the Fantastic Caverns
Science Research Program and is available
from June 1 through November 22.
of the Ozarks just north of Springfield, Missouri,
the temperature is a warm 60 degrees
throughout the year--regardless of the weather
outside. A cave is a perfect place to come in out
of the cold!
Temperatures and relative humidity in
caves may remain stable for thousands of years.
A cave's temperature is roughly the same as the
mean annual temperature in the region where it
is located. Caves in the northern portion of the
Ozarks have an average temperature of 56
degrees, according to "The Wilderness
Underground: Caves of the Ozark Plateau," by
H. Dwight Weaver. In the southern portion of
the area, the average temperature is near 60
degrees. Thus, cave temperatures vary from
region to region.
At the Cave of the Mounds in Blue
Mounds, Wisconsin, the average temperature is
about 50 degrees. It's about 53 degrees in Wind
Cave at Hot Springs, South Dakota. At Skyline
Caverns in Front Royal, Virginia, the mercury
stays in the mid 50s. Kentucky Caverns in
Horse Cave, Kentucky, hovers between 58 and
60 degrees. Lake Shasta Caverns in O'Brien,
California, averages 58 degrees. But in warm
southern Texas, the average reading in the
Caverns of Sonora is 71 degrees.
Caves by their nature are humid places,
and 98 percent relative humidity in Caverns of
Sonora makes it feel like the temperature is a
sultry 85 to 90 degrees.
Learning to hunt mastodons can be tricky!
SRP Photo
CAVES ARE WARM!
Winter is heating up as a vacation
season in the Missouri Ozarks. And with the
region becoming a year-round leisure
destination, a cave is a perfect place to come in
out of the cold.
Temperatures in caves are steady the
year around. At Fantastic Caverns, in the heart
Spring 2006
Visiting students enjoy the warm cave during winter
months. (SRP Photo)
www.fantasticcaverns.com
Page 3 of 6
OZARK ADVENTURE
Spring 2006
CAVE SAFELY
By Lawrence Ireland
Have you ever wanted to go somewhere
that no one else has been? Exploring caves is
one way to do this.
Many caves are
waiting to be
discovered, and
even the wellknown caves can
be a lot of fun.
This makes
caving an exciting
sport. Many folks
enjoy cave
exploring, but only
Proper caving gear is
those who explore
always important. Photo
safely are true
courtesy of Michael Carter,
cavers.
Ozark Highlands Grotto
Caving safely
takes planning and proper equipment. While
caves can be dangerous, being prepared can
make your trip safe and fun. The most important
thing to do when you plan a cave trip is to make
sure someone goes with you. NEVER go into a
cave alone. If you get hurt, you would need at
least two other people: one to go for help and
the other to help
you. A safe group
should have at
least four people in
it. Going with an
experienced adult
is a must for kids.
Before you go into
a cave, make sure
Members of the Ozark
a parent or
Highlands Grotto meet in the
another adult
underground classroom at
knows where you
Fantastic Caverns. Photo
courtesy Michael Carter, OHG
are and when
you'll be back. If
you are lost or hurt, someone needs to know
where you are to help.
Each person in your group will need the
right equipment. You'll want warm, durable
clothes that can get really dirty. Shoes with
good traction are a must. A lot of cavers like to
wear gloves to protect their hands and keep
them clean. You will probably be on your knees
a lot, so some cheap knee pads are nice. A
hard hat or helmet is very important. It will
protect your head from the hard rock ceiling.
The most important thing to bring is lots
of lights. One light is not enough! If it goes out
in the total darkness of the cave, what do you
do? For this reason, extra lights, bulbs and
batteries must be part of your gear. Always
have at least three sources of light. You can
take some extra things along, too. Food, water
and a camera will fit nicely into your pack. Be
prepared, but don't weigh yourself down.
Once you get in the cave, have fun
exploring. Go slowly and quietly. Remember to
look back now and then so you'll know what the
way out looks like. While in the cave you can
look for formations, search for fossils, or even try
to find cave animals. Avoid high spots where
you could fall, and never jump in a cave. Kids
make great cave explorers, but avoid places that
are too small. All explorers should follow the
caver's motto:
Take nothing but pictures.
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time.
When you leave the cave, you'll be really
dirty. You will also have seen a very different
and unique place. When you go prepared,
there's nothing as much fun as caving.
Editor's note: Lawrence Ireland is a biologist and avid
caver.
While many caves are on public land,
most are on private property. Make sure the
land owner says it's O.K. to visit their cave.
Spring 2006
www.fantasticcaverns.com
Page 4 of 6
OZARK ADVENTURE
Spring 2006
WORD SEARCH
ADVENTURE
COLD
EXPLORER
HELMET
MASTODON
PLATEAU
RESEARCH
TEMPERATURE
Spring 2006
ANNUAL
CROP
FOSSILIZED
HOT
MISSOURI
POLLUTE
SHASTA
TEXAS
BAT
DIG
HABITAT
LIGHT
PESTICIDE
PROGRAM
SPECIES
WEIGHT
www.fantasticcaverns.com
CAVING
DURABLE
HEIGHT
MAMMAL
PICTURE
PROTECT
TEACH
WINTER
Page 5 of 5