Guanero Bats

The Bracken cave, north of San Antonio in the US state of Texas, is home to some 20 million guanero bats, which grow to 93 millimeters long and weigh approximately 15 grams. This colony is capable of consuming a total of 250 tons of insects each night, and is the most numerous of a species that inhabits caverns in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America and the Antilles.

The bat has large, wide set ears that allow it to locate its prey. Given that their colonies are the largest congregations of mammals in the world, one might think that mother bats would find it difficult to identify their young among so many crying baby bats. But within minutes, a mother locates her offspring, remembering exactly where she left them and recognizing their cries.

Despite their enormous numbers, the guanero bat, indispensable for controlling harmful insect populations, is a species that is seriously threatened by the indiscriminate use of pesticides and the destruction of their caves.

http://thewildones.org/Animals/mexFreesp.html

Enigmatic Volcanoes

Ecuador has a long history of earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions because it is located inside the so-called Pacific Ocean Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active zones on the planet. In late 1999, Guagua Pichincha, a volcano that reaches more than 4,000 meters above sea level and located just 10 km outside Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, caused quite a stir.

To learn more about the most spectacular volcanoes in this South American country, connect yourself to http://www.ecuadorciencia.com/

Gray Whale - Right on Time

On Dec 15, the gray whales began arriving in the warm waters off Mexico's Pacific coast, in Baja California, where some 2,500 of this most primitive whale are expected to spend the winter.

Like every other year, the largest mammal in the world makes its journey to the lagoons of the Mexican peninsula to complete its reproductive cycle after having traveled more than 10,000 km from the northern seas.

Adult males reach 14.3 meters long and weigh more than 16 tons, while adult females measure 15 meters and can weigh as much as 30 tons when they are pregnant.

Connect yourself to more information about these giant creatures at:
http://www.semarnap.gob.mx/naturaleza/especies/ballenagris
/descrip.htm

An 'Artibeus jamaicensis' bat. /Claudio Contreras