Joey Rosowicz, St. Patrick School
Morris County
Indiana Bat. Morris County. Joey Rosowicz
Indiana Bat
Look at that mosquito! It is so huge! Yum, that tastes good. Let me introduce myself. I am a brown-furred Indiana bat. I am 1.6 to 2 inches long. Not including my tail. I weigh about 0.24 to 0.26 ounces. I live in limestone caves near water in the winter and in the bark or trees in the summer. In order for me to fly, it must be dark. Since I can't see very well, I depend on sound waves bouncing off objects. My cave must be 37 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit with 87 percent humidity. When I hibernate, I move to the coldest part of the cave. Every eight to ten days I wake up. Flying insects are my diet.
I am in big trouble though. Humans are putting gates around my caves so visitors can't come in while we are hibernating. But when they block the entrance, the temperature of my cave changes, and this can kill me. Humans are also spraying pesticides on the food I eat, so it is hard for me to find safe food. If that's not enough, some of my friends have White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that grows on our tiny bat bodies.
I would like humans to stop putting those gates around my cave. They also need to stop disturbing us while we are hibernating. If people see the fungus covering me or my friends, I would really appreciate them taking it off our bodies. Humans also need to stop using pesticides and stop destroying our summer homes by cutting down trees. If all these things were accomplished, I know my friends and I would live a long, happy life.
Joey Rosowicz
St. Patrick School
Chatham, NJ
Mrs. Butkus