I know next to nothing about bats and have been trying to find more information on bat identification and habits on the internet. It seems that there is not much out there besides the routine articles that children can use for school projects etc.
Aside from watching a bat give birth on the lawn outside my office, I don’t get to see them much although they do fly about quite a bit at home. It’s just normally too dark to see much. Ideally one would like to have a close look in the light of day but that’s when they sleep in caves and dark places. I have seen some hanging under a thatch roof in the Kruger park a few times but they were quite high up.
All the literature I can find says that bats like to sleep in dark places during the day time. What the heck this chap was doing having a snooze on a brick wall at my work in the baking sun I don’t know.
Why was he just holding on with one foot?
The only explanation my blonde brain can come up with is the following:
This weekend was pay weekend. Pay weekends here are rather hectic and festive in the farming region. Many liters of alcohol are consumed – so much so that we have road signs warning traffic about drunks crossing.
The photo’s were taken on monday morning. I think this fellow just didn’t make it home.
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It was a good opportunity to look at a bat up close. Does anyone know what kind of bat it is?
The Slowvelder 
It looks like a member of the brown bat clan, which (I believe) are primarily insect eaters. We have itty bitty ones around here (fit in the palm of your hand size), but they have the same colorations. We also have some fruit bats that tend to get a bit drunky when they find fruit that has become somewhat fermented from being out in the heat.
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What a cute bat!
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Haha … I like your theory about why the bat was hanging out on the wall … I did a post recently of a bat I found hanging on an uncompleted wall in my house.
Great photos of the bat giving birth … you were very lucky to see that … and have your camera handy at the same time
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Cute little bugger….whatever species he is. I got to deal with bats when I was a Cave Guide and found that they are highly misunderstood creatures. Nice photos!
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Ha! Poor little bloke! I had one at home who got caught out too, found it hanging on the fascia boards. Guess they like to hang out somewhere different every now and then:-)
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🙂 – must be teenagers
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We live on the edge of a green area. Sometimes on a summers evening bats fly over past us as we sit on the terrace. Of course, it’s hard to make much out because it’s so dark by then.
Once we got up in the morning and one was just hanging there on the side of the house. We didn’t have time to the grab the camera as it made a hasty exit, but it felt like a real privilege to see one up close and personal.
Lovely picture. Bats are one of my favourite creatures so much appreciate you sharing. 🙂
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Haha. That uis a great explanation
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In December last year one of my parents’ cats brought in a baby bat, it was about 5cm long. We had no idea what to do with it, and the vet also could not help us.
Locally we don’t have any rehabilitation centers / sanctuaries capable of coping with injured bats, but I heard there is a place in/close by Pretoria that has some experience with them.
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