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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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OP
old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
Does any of you folks know if your local bats colonies circle clockwise or counterclockwise when they leave their caves at dusk? A good number of caves in the northern hemisphere are reported on the net to have large colonies that circle counterclockwise, but I think I remember two colonies here in Alabama that circle clockwise.
In particular, have any of you folks beneath us noticed the direction of the circle of your bats? Thank you.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742 |
Sorry, milum, I am unable to help. To the best of my knowledge, NZ's bats ( both species, the only native non-aquatic mammals up here) all live in the South Island, and I haven't been up there in years.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Geez. milo! The only place I ever in my life saw a swarm of bats was when I was in the
Philippines, and the huge University of Santo Tomas building had hundreds of small cracks
from many minor earthquakes from which at dusk would come hundreds and hundreds of
bats. I don't recall their circling at all, just dispersing in every direction very quickly.
I can't think of any reason why they should circle in either direction. Their prey insects
were distributed randomly, I'm sure. Not like migratory waterfowl that I one year watched
over Susquehannah River, Just below the Conowingo Dam, circling to see which one of them
was the fastest and going to be point man (or woman) Offhand, I think they tended to fly
counter-clock wise, but I wouldn't swear to it. And anyway, all they were doing was settling
who was going to lead, not which direction they were going to head in.
What possible reason can you think of why bats should circle?
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
Sorry, milum, I am unable to help. To the best of my knowledge, NZ's bats ( both species, the only native non-aquatic mammals up here) all live in the South Island, and I haven't been up there in years.
Well, I used to live up there, and I've seen bats coming and going. Never seen them swarming or circling, though.
Is this a bit like water going down the plug hole?
- Pfranz
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
a bit like water going down the plug hole?
Or down the drain, for that matter. Parbly. One of those things that people believe even though the phenomena are too small to be affected by Coriolis forces.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Well, from the bat's point of view, he's going clockwise.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
from the bat's point of view
How can you say that, Dub'? Bats don't have clocks.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636 |
Geez, Mr. Milo. I wish I could remember which direction the cyclone of bats I observed last fall was going. Seems like it was counterclock-wise, but they could have been doing both it was that crazy.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
from the bat's point of viewHow can you say that, Dub'? Bats don't have clocks.I didn't say he knew he was going clockwise; I said his point of view would be clockwise. Clockwise is clockwise, whether you know you're movin' that way or not.  Take this as a fact from one who has no natural sense of direction.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
This clock-wise bat of yours; is he looking up or down?
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