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Bats in Captivity Online ©1995  by Susan Barnard

Chapter Thirteen

MARKING BATS FOR IDENTIFICATION

There are several reasons to mark bats for identification. Banding has provided investigators with a method to study bat migration, longevity, homing ability, and diseases including rabies. Various methods have been used to identify bats. For example, zoological institutions identify them with tattooes, bleaching of fur, wing notching and/or colored/numbered arm bands. Bands are traditionally made of lightweight metals or plastics. Although several types of designs have been used (Hassell, 1967; Herreid et al., 1960; Hill and Smigh, 1986; Hitchcock, 1957; Kowalski, 1955), all are injurious to varying degrees. There is only one method, however, that is permanent and does not disfigure the animal. The system uses electromagnetic transponders implanted under the skin (FIG. 107).

I implanted 20 big brown bats (Barnard, 1989) under "field" conditions, and all animals remained free of infection. Furthermore, seven years later the implanted transponders have not migrated from the site of insertion.

The use of transponders not only provides a humane way in which to identify bats in captivity, but should prove useful to biologists who are studying newly released, captive-reared individuals, or wild populations. As with radio-tracking devices, however, this technology is relatively expensive. Prices vary according to the supplier (see APPENDIX I for availability).

Figure 107.  A) a sterilized electromagnetic transponder (arrow) being loaded into a 12-GA, 1½-in. needle;  B) a transponder being implanted into a big brown bat (E. fuscus) (photos courtesy of Gregory C. Greer, Marietta, GA).


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