{"id":41315,"date":"2024-08-29T12:22:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T10:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5e01476c-4862-4d66-bc14-f70200dcc9d7"},"modified":"2024-08-29T13:27:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T11:27:30","slug":"golden-bats-boa-snakes-and-dwarf-porcupines-are-hiding-deep-inside-in-mexicos-ancient-temples-and-scientists-know-why","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/golden-bats-boa-snakes-and-dwarf-porcupines-are-hiding-deep-inside-in-mexicos-ancient-temples-and-scientists-know-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden bats, boa snakes and dwarf porcupines are hiding deep inside in Mexico’s ancient temples \u2013 and scientists know why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers studying some of Mexico’s most famous Maya sites discovered 23 species of bat, as well as boa snakes, opossums and Mexican hairy dwarf porcupines. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 29 August 2024 at 10:22 AM<\/p>

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In Europe, bats are well-known for their preferences for church spires and belfries (and old buildings in general) as quiet, cosy and thermally stable places to roost and breed. But it seems that this love of nooks and crannies in ancient architecture is not unique to the temperate north. <\/strong><\/p>

In a study that could be straight out of an Indiana Jones<\/em> film, biologists have revealed that the famed archaeological sites of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, such as\u00a0Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1\u00a0and Uxmal, form a key resource for a large number of the region\u2019s bat species.\u00a0<\/p>

Uxmal, a Maya city founded circa 500AD, provides a home for numerous bat species. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Scientists involved in the study spent thousands of hours monitoring carefully placed mist-nets and taking torchlight explorations of narrow and ancient passageways in the temples, tombs and sacred spaces at four Maya archaeological sites. In all, they found 23 species of bats; of these, 12 roost exclusively in the cavern-like interiors and protected spaces created by these ancient buildings.\u00a0<\/p>

Not only did the researchers record just over half of all the bat species known to live in the region, but they also found several national rarities, including the\u00a0Cozumelan golden bat\u00a0<\/em>(Mimon cozumelae<\/em>)\u00a0and\u00a0Schmidt’s big-eared bat (Micronycteris schmidtorum<\/em>).\u00a0<\/p>

\"Bats\"
The researchers recorded 23 species of bats across four archaeological sites. Credit: Ganesh Marin<\/figcaption><\/figure>

“The building-roosting species involved are largely those who would otherwise be based in limestone caverns and cenotes,”\u00a0says team leader Ganesh Marin, from the University of Arizona, noting that the species inhabit the sites despite the large numbers of visiting tourists.\u00a0<\/p>

Marin and the team also found that the protection afforded by the temples is particularly useful for forest-dwelling species such as the southern yellow bat (Lasiurus ega<\/em>),\u00a0which roosts in hollow trees, and the greater striped fruit bat (Artibeus jamacensis), <\/em>which uses folded leaves as sleeping sites. <\/p>

“This is because vegetation in the areas around archaeological sites is generally well protected,”\u00a0explains Marin, which helps guarantee refuge and food sources not only for bats, but also for many other forest-living species.\u00a0Indeed, the team found the temples also sheltered\u00a0boas, opossums and Mexican hairy dwarf porcupines.\u00a0<\/p>

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Several national rarities were found in the study, including the\u00a0Cozumelan golden bat\u00a0and\u00a0Schmidt’s big-eared bat. Credit: Ganesh Marin<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The Yucatan Peninsula hosts over 2,000 known archaeological sites, and these ancient structures could well become key for regional conservation in the future. But outside of the protected areas, they are under threat from development, say the authors of the study.\u00a0<\/p>

The money generated from ecotourism, and the raised profile that visitors and scientific studies bring should, the authors hope, guarantee that these sites continue to host streams of dusk-time bats heading to and fro between the remains, like something from a classic adventure-book story.\u00a0<\/p>

They also suggest that visitors could view these nightly bat emergences while learning about their ecological and economic importance. This, they suggest, could be combined with Maya stories about bats, bringing together biologists, anthropologists and archaeologists to raise conservation awareness.\u00a0<\/p>

The current role of these Maya structures is made even more poignant by the fact that the Maya religion features a bat-headed god, Camazotz, who, amongst other duties, is responsible for repelling regional invaders and protecting the forest and the animals within.\u00a0<\/p>

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House of the Doves, one of the structures at Uxmal. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Main image: Maya ruins of Uxmal, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Credit: Getty<\/em><\/p>

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