October 2024 - 20

I
magine sitting by a warm
campfire on a starlit evening.
As you listen to stories
shared by the firelight and roast
marshmallows, you hear an obnoxious,
high-pitched buzzing in your
ear. Hungry swarms of mosquitoes
have arrived looking for their own
late-night snack. What began as a
tranquil evening has turned into a
miniature battle between you and
these blood-sucking bugs.
Suddenly, a dark shadow swoops in and
out of the firelight. As you look overhead, for
a split second you wonder what kind of bird
is flying in the darkness. But it is no bird.
Another of these winged wonders comes
flashing in and out of view: a bat. These
nocturnal creatures often get a bad reputation
that comes from the stuff of campfire
legends. The bats aren't there to bother you
and your fellow campers. These small, flying
mammals have arrived as air support to your
mosquito battle. They have come for a feast
of the insect variety, and they'll eat them by
the thousands.
Laura Beard has made a career of studying
these miniature mammals. Beard is the
bat biologist for the nongame section of the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department. She
and her crew travel across the state to monitor
bat populations and the progress of a fungus
that threatens them.
They carry specialized acoustic recording
equipment to document bat sonar on the landscape,
infrared camera technology to observe
bats exiting roosts, capture equipment to help
biologists take a closer look and tools like scales
and calipers to take measurements of bats once
they have them in hand. It is a lot of effort for
such a tiny mammal. Beard and her team are
responsible for monitoring bat populations
to understand the impacts of conservation
challenges on bats.
R&R: ROOSTS AND RESEARCH
All Wyoming bats are insectivores, which
means their diet consists entirely of insects.
These bats play a significant role in helping
to control insects that can be pests for crops
or carry diseases. For example, little brown
bats commonly found in Wyoming, can eat
20 | October 2024
Collaborators from Game and Fish, United States Geological Survey, Colorado State University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, University of Wyoming, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Northwest College and the Draper Natural History
Museum prepare to capture bats for the USGS white-nose syndrome trial. (Photo by Britney Force/WGFD)

October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024

October 2024 - 1
October 2024 - 2
October 2024 - 3
October 2024 - 4
October 2024 - 5
October 2024 - 6
October 2024 - 7
October 2024 - 8
October 2024 - 9
October 2024 - 10
October 2024 - 11
October 2024 - 12
October 2024 - 13
October 2024 - 14
October 2024 - 15
October 2024 - 16
October 2024 - 17
October 2024 - 18
October 2024 - 19
October 2024 - 20
October 2024 - 21
October 2024 - 22
October 2024 - 23
October 2024 - 24
October 2024 - 25
October 2024 - 26
October 2024 - 27
October 2024 - 28
October 2024 - 29
October 2024 - 30
October 2024 - 31
October 2024 - 32
October 2024 - 33
October 2024 - 34
October 2024 - 35
October 2024 - 36
October 2024 - 37
October 2024 - 38
October 2024 - 39
October 2024 - 40
October 2024 - 41
October 2024 - 42
October 2024 - 43
October 2024 - 44
October 2024 - 45
October 2024 - 46
October 2024 - 47
October 2024 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com