Bat Research

For the conservation of our furry flying friends

Objectives

Our bat study has three main aims:

to continue cataloguing the bat species present on Utila within different habitat types
to estimate and monitor the population size of bat colonies living within limestone cave systems island wide
to establish protection, conservation management plans for bats and facilitate sustainable eco-tourism for cave sites.

We provide internships and training in mist-netting survey methods, data collection and identification. We want to promote studies into specific topics such as bat species ecology, morphology, abundance and distribution, cave roosting population sizes, behaviour, diet and parasite load.

We have lots of ideas for student projects and thesis questions!

Natalus mexicanus maternity roost

Mist netting and data collection

Spectral bat - Vampyrum spectrum

Natalus mexicanus maternity roost

Brandon Hill Bat Cave

The Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Conservation of Bats (RELCOM) certifies that it recognizes the "Brandon Hill Bat Cave" (Utila, Honduras), as a SICOM (Site of Importance for the Conservation of Bats). Consequently, it has been registered in the RELCOM database with the code S-H-003. The bat cave on Brandon Hill is the most important bat-associated area on all of Utila Island. It is estimated that around 6,000 individuals inhabit the cave. In Utila, 13 species of bats have been registered, four of which use the cave as a refuge (Glossophaga mutica, Glossophaga commissarisi, Lonchorhina aurita and Natalus mexicanus), and another five inhabit the caves surroundings (Saccopteryx bilineata, Saccopteryx leptura, Dermanura phaeotis, Artibeus jamaicensis and Rhogeessa menchuae) (Martínez Murillo et al. 2022).