#1 SOUTHERN BENT-WING BAT
Weighing about the same as a 50c coin and with a body length of 5cm, this marvellous microbat species has a restricted range along the coast across the borderline of South Australia and Victoria. Southern bentwings migrate each spring to their breeding grounds: maternity caves in which hundreds of pups cluster in creches, raising the temperature of the caves by up to 12°C. Only three of these maternity caves are known to exist, so a temperature or weather event at any would be catastrophic – just one of the reasons why this charming, snubnosed flyer is critically endangered. In breeding season it’s estimated the southern bent-wing bat can eat about 25% of its 15g body weight in insects per meal and may eat
2–3 meals per night. In winter, the bats go into hibernation, roosting in the coolest sections of their chosen caves. Their body temperature drops as low as 2°C, which limits the loss of body fat.