Wildlife biologist Felix Martinez is a bat expert and a new Squamish resident. He moved to Squamish three months ago from Vancouver and has studied bats for many years. He was formerly the chair of the South Coast Bat Conservation Society.
The Chief caught up with him to find out more about these creatures of the night that are always so celebrated at Halloween, though they are hibernating at this time of year.
Q: When did you become interested in bats?A: Ever since I was a kid, I loved being in nature and learning about animals and wildlife in general. Bats are so misunderstood and have a bad reputation, and that has made them difficult to study. Even today, we don't have a lot of information about them. So, since I was a kid, I have been drawn to non-charismatic bats.
Q: What kind of bats do we have in Squamish?A: We have quite a few. We have some migratory bats and local ones that will hibernate in the area.
Q: Is the biggest threat to bats in our area the disease white-nose syndrome?A: That and habitat loss. Those would be the two main threats.
Q: This year folks, especially out in the Squamish Valley, noted that there were more mosquitoes, and there was some speculation that this could be because the heat dome/climate change impacted the local bat population. How are bats reacting to climate change?A: Climate change and the heat waves that we had this year could definitely have impacted the bats here. We have had some occasions where we found some dead bats because they were in the roosts that got too hot. Definitely, climate change affects not only bats but all types of wildlife. Bats eat a lot of mosquitoes; it has been proven. So, if folks were seeing more mosquitoes this year, it could be partly because the population of bats was lower — that could be one of many factors.
Q: How true is it that there wouldn't be bananas, avocados, and mangoes without bats because they spread the nuts?A: Bats are one of the best pollinators, and they spread seeds. They help with reforestation. Not only would we not have bananas, avocados, and mangoes, but we also would not have tequila without them. Bats are responsible for pollinating the agaves plant that is used to make tequila.
Q: Not all bats hibernate, but do the ones we have in Squamish?A: Most of the bat species here hibernate. We don't know where they hibernate, but they do. They hibernate from about mid-October until spring.
Some bats hibernate in the deep crevices in the mountains; if those places in the rock are deep enough to keep a stable temperature and high humidity in the winter, bats will hibernate there.
Q: But you were saying we don't really know all the places bats hibernate?A: No, there is a huge gap; we don't know much about their winter biology. We don't know where they are roosting exactly here in the winter.
Q: How fast do bats go?A: It depends on the species. Some of the bigger bats can fly 60 to 70 kilometres per hour. They can go really fast.
Q: How long do the local bats live on average?A: That is very impressive — it is one of the bats' superpowers. They are long-living mammals. Some captured bats have been more than 35 years old. For a species that is so small and has such a high metabolism, that is a big number for them.
Q: For many of us, bats were something, as you alluded to earlier, we were taught to be a little afraid of. For example, I grew up on Vancouver Island and was terrified of them flying into my hair at night on the beach. What is your take on that?A: I have handled thousands of bats, and I have never had one land on my face or in my hair. That is really rare. Bats actually want to be far from us. Sometimes on the trails or the beach, you may see bats flying close by, but they are actually helping us. They are getting rid of insects, the mosquitoes, that are flying around us.
In terms of diseases — any wildlife carries some diseases, but bats are not dangerous. The chance of getting rabies from a bat is very, very low. All that being said, if you see a bat, don't handle it with your bare hands because you want to protect yourself and also protect the bat population. White-nose syndrome was potentially caused by someone who went inside a cave and spread the disease.
With COVID-19, we don't know if it can be transmitted to the bats. So always wear gloves when handling bats.
Q: How can we help bats?A: By understanding them better. By knowing that they are not bad for us, but that they are really helpful for us.
You can help local scientists with local bat counts.
Conservation doesn't get a lot of funding sometimes, so many of our projects are successful because folks volunteer to help. Bat counts are critical to understanding the numbers of bats and where they are located. So, volunteer for any local bat project you hear about and report any weird behaviour.
Folks can also install bat houses — artificial roosts. That is quite helpful for bats. It is essential to get a bat house from a reputable company or with the advice of a bat biologist, though.
Q: What is considered odd behaviour for a bat?A: Bats are nocturnal, so that should be reported if you see bats flying during the day. Bats that act aggressively — for example, if a bat lands on you — that is odd behaviour. If they are hitting a window or seem lethargic, or are seen flying in the winter, that should be reported.
Q: What makes a good artificial bat roost?A: The bigger, the better for artificial bat houses. That way, bats are going to have different micro-climates inside. You want multiple chambers inside. That will accommodate more bats, and they will have a gradient of temperatures inside. When one compartment gets too hot, the bats can move to a different section that is a bit cooler.
If you have a small bat house with only one chamber — a small box — they could potentially use it, but during heatwaves, the box will get hot really fast and cool down quickly at night. The bats could possibly die.
If you are interested in building or installing a bat house, contact the South Coast Conservation Bat Society or the Community Bat Projects of B.C.
Q: What other cool things would you like folks to know about bats?A: My message is really to learn about bats. They aren't bad, they are really good. There are still a lot of things we don't know about bats. We don't know, for example, if the bats from Squamish are just one big population or are there many small populations? Are the group of bats at Alice Lake the same as those in Porteau Cove, or do they commute and mingle? The only way to know that is by using genetic tools. That could be the next step in research in our area — to understand how bats are moving in the fantastic landscape.
Q: The average person likely thinks that bats have been well-studied. Why haven't they been?A: There are different factors. One is that bats have been tricky to study. They are small and fast-flying animals.
The technology is now getting way better. We are using night vision cameras, drones and genetics and better GPS to track bats — all technology we didn't have five or 10 years ago.
The information we have been able to gather in the last couple of years is amazing.
The technology is better and more affordable, now there is hope that funding also improves.
