Angelina D'Amico, West Amwell Township Elementary School
Hunterdon County
Second Place, Hunterdon County, Indiana Bat (c) Angelina D'Amico
Indiana Bat
Oh hi there! I was just getting ready to fly to my home. Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't introduce myself, I'm an Indiana Bat or my scientific name is Myotis Sodalis which means mousear companion. I'm ten years old. Usually Indiana Bat's only live to nine years old but some have reached fourteen years of age. I am lucky that I got this far in age because I am an endangered species and many of my kind don't survive their hibernation in caves or old abandoned mines. A lot of Indiana Bat's die off because of the humans, they disturb our hibernation too much. Humans disturb our hibernation by drilling into our caves and making the roof collapse. We also get a disease called White Nose Syndrome. White Nose Syndrome kills many bats at one time, and those are two reasons why I am endangered.
Don't think that there are no solutions to help me from extinction because there are! Wildlife Biologists help me in many ways. I am going to tell you some solutions to my problem. The first solution is that you can try stopping companies from dumping toxic waste into the rivers and bays that I drink from. You can also stop cutting down so many trees they are my home. Biologists have been doing some things to help me as well, such as designing special gates to prevent anyone from going into Indiana Bat's hibernation places. They are also trying to maintain the temperature and to do that they have to build special rooms with very accurate temperatures Indiana Bat's need to survive.
You are now in my habitat. I live in the pinewood forest. My home is in that tall dead pine tree. Some Indiana Bat's live in a different forest, the hardwood forest and some even live under bridges! It all matters if it is a sunny place, safe, dry and also warm. That includes dry caves. Wherever we live our basic needs have to be there. That includes water for drinking, (from streams, rivers, or bays) some food for eating, (mostly any insect) and a sunny and undisturbed place to live. If that place is everything that I just said then it is safe to live in.
My species is very interesting. Do you know that I weigh only three pennies combined! Also I am the only endangered bat. In fact, I was one of the first species to be put on the endangered list. Well that's enough talking for now I should really be getting back up into my safe house. Thank you for listening about my species, I hope you consider trying to help my animal from extinction.
Written by: Angelina D'Amico
West Amwell Township Elementary School, Lambertville,NJ
Teacher: Mr. Jowalewski