On Friday, Oct. 9, the Lomira Public Library welcomed Marsh Haven Nature Center from Waupun who brought a special visitor to the library, a brown bat named Luna.
Luna is a two-year-old big brown bat who was found near Wausau. She came to the center with a serious injury that prevented her from flying, which also prevented her from hunting in the wild. Brown bats only eat insects, which is the same for all bats found in Wisconsin (although some bats eat fruit, nectar or drink animal blood).
Not only did the library invite Luna and Marsh Haven, but they also decorated their library space with bats and bat themed decorations. They even made one of their rooms look like a cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Along with the decorations, there were also many bat themed activities for children to enjoy, as well as random bat facts posted throughout the library.
Fun Bat Facts:
Bats sleep hanging upside down from their feet. That makes it easy for them to take off into flight.
Bats cannot fly from the ground. They need a high perch, like the side of a house or a tree, to glide off from.
Groups of bats living together are called colonies. Some colonies have millions of bats.
A baby bat is called a pup. Mama bats know which baby is theirs based on their squeaks.
Bats are the second fastest mammal in the world, second to cheetahs.
Bats use sound waves, or echolocation, to “see” and navigate the world around them.
Big brown bats, like Luna, hibernate in cool, humid places like caves.
Most bat species only have one pup per year.
Please note: Bats are wild animals that may contain rabies and other diseases. If you see one, do not go and pick it up by hand. If you see one on a wall or hanging from a tree, leave it be. If it is on the ground, relocate it using a net or bucket or call a sanctuary like Marsh Haven if it seems injured. Keep children and animals away.
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