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Some of Utah's most unusual furry residents got a little extra attention from the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) this weekend during a special nighttime survey exercise.

Biologists were up most of the night Saturday netting bats for a routine species survey on Antelope Island.

Though their main goal was figuring out which bat species live where in Utah, the event's proximity to human habitat offered an educational opportunity for the public, said Adam Brewerton, a wildlife conservation biologist for the DWR.

A combination of factors — their ability to fly, for example, or the fact that they come out only at night — continue to make people uncomfortable with bats, Brewerton said. But their strangeness, he said, is actually what makes bats cool.

They're also useful creatures in Utah, where the majority of bats feed on moths and other insects that tend to become agricultural pests, Brewerton said.

Though generally associated with caves and warm climates further south, Brewerton said many bats call Utah home. They don't necessarily need to roost in a large cave, he said, but may settle down in a crevice in a rock, or under a clump of leaves in a tree.

There are 18 known species of bats in Utah, Brewerton said, but Saturday's survey targeted two specific species: the Brazilian free-tailed bat, and the Townsend's big-eared bat.

The free-tailed bat is more common, he said, but locating big-eared bats is of importance to conservation efforts. Though found locally, the big-eared bat is less common and tends to be sensitive to disturbance when roosting or hibernating.

Biologists can identify the presences of specific bat species by recording their echolocation calls, Brewerton said, but the state also catches bats in fine-filament nets in order to take direct counts. Antelope Island was selected as a survey site more or less randomly, he said, but it tends to be a good place to catch bats because water and insects are plentiful in the area, and because the trees and structures located near the Fielding Garr Ranch provide biologists with a place to hang up nets.

The bats caught Saturday were measured, ID'd, given temporary markings to prevent double-counting recaptured bats, and then released unharmed.

epenrod@sltrib.com

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