Batman Day

Batman Day


Batman Day (open source image)
Batman Day (open source image)

It’s Batman Day! Now for those who know me, it’s no secret that I love Batman and the whole world of Gotham! The comics (in my opinion) are epic – DC I applaud you.

Batman (open source image)
Batman (open source image)

In the spirit of Batman Day, I am doing a short post on the creatures that inspired Bruce Wayne to become Batman – become what you fear… and what did Batman fear? – Bats!

Common Fruit Bat (open source image)
Common Fruit Bat (open source image)

Na na na na na na Bat-Facts!…

  • There are 18 residential species in the UK; 17 of which are known to be breeding.
  • Bats are not blind; however they do have very poor eyesight. They find food and find their way around by using echolocation – sending out calls and listening for the returning echo’s.
  • They are the only mammal capable of flight; with elongated fingers, joined by skin/ wing membrane.
  • There are almost 1,000 bat species worldwide.
  • 70% of bats are insectivores (eat insects) – which helps to control insect populations within their habitats.
  • Other bat species feed on fruits and/ or vegetables.
  • Other bat species are carnivorous feeding on birds, other small mammals, fish, amphibians, and lizards.
  • Vampire bats prefer the blood of animals (often livestock) to that of humans – they pierce the flesh and lap up the pooling blood; they don’t “suuuck your blooood!” (or inhabit Transylvania).
  • Bats cannot live in extreme desert or Arctic conditions.
  • A baby bat is called a ‘pup’. They are born and raised within a colony of females – no help from the males.
  • Some bats live in large groups; whilst other species are solitary.
  • There are bat species that will hibernate through the cold months, and others that will migrate to warmer climates.
  • The largest bat species is the Giant Flying Fox of Indonesia, with a wingspan of up to 6ft!
Giant Flying Fox (open source image)
Giant Flying Fox (open source image)

All images are open source, Google images – not my own.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
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Rare Species: Gooty Tarantula

Rare Species: Gooty Tarantula


warning

The scientific name for this arachnid is Poecilotheria metallica. Some other names for this blue beauty include; Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty sapphire tarantula, Metallic tarantula, and Peacock tarantula. This tarantula is so named due to the location of the only known habitat of the species – this tarantula species is (so far) known to inhabit a protected forest in the town of Gooty, India. The known distribution of this rare species is less than 39 square miles.

Juvenile Gooty Tarantula
Juvenile Gooty Tarantula

The blue colour is more intense in males than females. The young start off as more of a lavender colour, which gradually becomes blue, and then gets more intense into adulthood – as seen in the image above, the juvenile still retains the lavender colour, but has already begun to change to blue.

Adults grow up to 6-8 inches (14.5-20 cm) in length, on average. The Gooty Tarantula matures between 1-2 years old; and can live anywhere between 12-30 years – living longer in the wild (up to 30 years), with shorter captive lifespans (averaging 12 years old).

Gooty Tarantula - Open Source Google Image
Gooty Tarantula – Open Source Google Image

As you can see by the image above, this is an arboreal tarantula species – meaning that they live off the ground, in the trees and plants (as opposed to being a terrestrial species; living on the ground/ in the undergrowth). The species is so rare, that it is classed as critically endangered on the Endangered Species List. This species was thought to be extinct for 102 years; it was rediscovered in Gooty in 2001.


All images are open source, Google images – not my own.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
. Google+ (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Holloway)

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