Going batty in Ireland
QUESTION
How many species of bat are there in Ireland? Could flying foxes survive here? IT’S generally considered that nine species of bat live in Ireland.
All these species are to be found in the Republic, while eight live in the North. All the bats living on the island of Ireland are small, harmless and very shy mammals that are vulnerable to disturbance. Worldwide, there are over 1,000 species of bats, which are mammals, covered in fur, with warm blood. They give birth and they suckle their babies with milk.
In the Republic, bats are protected by the 1976 Wildlife Act and by the 2000 amendment to that Act. In the North, bats first got protected status in 1985. Apart from the domestic legislation in Ireland, bats are also protected under the EU Habitats Directive, which has been translated into both Irish and Northern Irish law. However, what happens to this directive in the North after the Brexit remains to be seen.
One bat species is only found in the Republic, but not in the North – the lesser horseshoe bat.
Nearly all the bats resident in Ireland have been long settled here, but some newcomers have been discovered in recent times. The Nathusius pipistrelle bat, which is relatively common elsewhere in Europe, was discovered breeding in the North in 1997, while it was subsequently recorded by detector in the Republic. At around the time this species was found in the North, scientists in Britain discovered that the pipistrelle bat is actually two different species. Subsequently, they were named the common and the soprano pipistrelle, and both species live in Ireland. Pipistrelle bats have tiny bodies, with short hind legs and short wide ears.
Then in 2003, yet another bat species was found here, when a Brandt’s bat was discovered in Co. Wicklow. But this particular species appears to have been a blowin from either the UK or mainland Europe, as no further examples have been found in Ireland.
Similarly, although a greater horseshoe bat, the largest bat species ever found in Ireland, was discovered in Co. Wexford in 2013, no further examples of this particular species have been found here. It’s also considered possible that another bat species, the noctule bat, could move into Ireland from the UK or elsewhere in Europe, as a result of climate change.
The preferred habitats of flying foxes, the largest of all bats, are typically rainforests in tropical and sub-tropical conditions, so the climate and vegetation here would be unsuitable for them.
It’s highly unlikely we’ll see flying foxes – some of which have a wingspan of 1.5metres and a head and body length of up to 16cm – in Ireland, unless really dramatic climate change takes place. Sheila Page, Dublin 7.
QUESTIONDid the US lumber industry use giant log flumes to transport wood? GIANT log flumes were built to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. The term flume comes from the Old French word flum and the Latin flumen, meaning a river.
There were many such log flumes across the world, but the most famous were in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, which were used to carry lumber from the giant redwood forests. The flumes eliminated the need for horse-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails.
Early versions were square chutes prone to jams that could cause damage, and they required constant maintenance.
In 1868, the first V-shaped flume was built by James W. Haines. This clever design means the rising water level behind a snagged log eventually lifts it up and frees it. It became the standard design throughout the Western mountains.
The longest flume, extending more than 100 kilometres, was opened in 1890 by the Kings River Lumber Company. Running from the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountain range down through the rocky canyons to the railhead in Sanger, it was an astounding feat of engineering.
The trunks of the felled giant redwood trees were hauled down to the mill, cut into manageable boards of lumber and then floated down the flume to the Sanger lumber yard. Men were employed as flume herders at various points along the route to check the flow of lumber and water.
However, ingenious as this process was, the effect on the giant redwood forests was devastating. It is estimated that more than 8,000 giant redwood trees, all over 2,000 years old, were felled.
On occasion, despite being exceedingly dangerous, flume herders and other thrill-seekers would ‘shoot the flume’ in small craft. These were the precursor of the modern log flume rides at amusement parks. In 1963, the first official log flume ride was built at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park. Mrs A. Carrington, Cheltenham, Glos.
QUESTION
In most cultures, are mermaids regarded as evil creatures? MERMAIDS, as mythical figures of power, mystery, good and evil, have long fascinated sailors.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus recorded: ‘[A crewman] saw three mermaids, who rose very high from the sea, but they are not so beautiful as they are painted, though to some extent they have a human appearance about the face.’ It is probable that the sailor saw three seals, whales or manatees – marine mammals also known as sea cows.
The earliest mermaid stories appeared in Assyria in 1000 BC. The goddess Atargatis, mother of Queen Semiramis, loved a mortal shepherd, but unintentionally killed him. Ashamed, she jumped into a lake and took the form of a mermaid: human above the waist, fish below. The earliest representations of Atargatis show her as a fish with a human head and arms.
Africa has a rich tradition of mermaids. In Zimbabwe they are called the Mondao and are portrayed as malicious creatures that enjoy dragging swimmers to their death. In 2012, work being carried out at a dam near the town of Gokwe was suspended because workers claimed they were being terrorised by the Mondao lurking there: pale-skinned mermaids with black hair and fish tails.
Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo made arrangements to have tribal chiefs perform rites and rituals to appease the creatures. Erica Fox, Brighton.
IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question raised here? Send your questions and answers to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Irish Daily Mail, Embassy House, Herbert Park Lane, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. You can also fax them to 0044 1952 510906 or you can email them to charles.legge@dailymail.ie. A selection will be published but we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.