How Does Land Cover Affect Bat Activity?

Changing land cover or land use can impact wildlife. We found that different types of bats were impacted by different types of land cover and land use, based on recordings of their calls across northeast Eswatini. Click on each picture below to find out more about each type of bat and what parts of the landscape are important to it!

Aerial Bats

Edge Bats

Clutter Bats
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Mops midas (left) and Myotis bocagii (right)

Mops midas

We made the first detection of the species Mops midas (above, left) in Eswatini (Swaziland) and the southernmost record of this species, expanding its distribution by 160 km. The bat was found exiting from the roof of a church. Some rare species can use man-made structures!
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Ectoparasites

Many bats host parasites on their bodies, ectoparasites. We describe the first record of ectoparasites of the family Streblidae in eSwatini. The ectoparasites belonged to the species Raymondia alulata and we found it on an Egyptian slit-faced bat. We reviewed all the records of Raymondia ectoparasites in Africa and made an updated identification key.
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Sonogram of little free-tailed bat call

Bat call library

Bats use echolocation to navigate and catch prey. These calls can help identify bat species. We described the calls of species in northeast eSwatini and measured the distance from which different species can be detected by Anabat detectors. This can help us identify bat calls and standardize activity between different species. ​
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Other Collaborations

Rodents of the Drakensbergs

Former University of Eswatini Master's student Felicity Nonsimiso Simelane found that rodent species diversity differs between habitats and seasons in the Drakensberg mountains. 
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Rodents of Telperion Nature Reserve

Former University of Eswatini Master's student and current UF PhD student Bonginkosi Charles Gumbi found that on fine scales near the boundary fence, there was no difference in wild rodent communities between a nature reserve grazed by wild ungulates and ranch grazed by domesticated ungulates. 
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More to come...
This work has been generously supported by: 
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Opportunitites Worldwide
  • The American Scandinavian Foundation Fellowship
  • National Geographic Young Explorer's Grant
  • The Explorers Club Exploration Fund – Mamont Scholar’s Program
  • Bat Conservation International Student Research Grant