Bats Make Their Own Tents

I should have looked underneath this leaf after I took this photo.  Although it is pretty low to the ground for bats, the two sets of V-shaped notches in the leaf look a lot like how tent-making bats chew leaves to make a nice tent shelter for themselves.  I wonder if there were bats sleeping underneath this leaf.  Tent-making bats chew notches in leaves so that the leaves will form an upside-down V (much like a simple tent).  They sleep underneath the leaf in the V, which makes it difficult for predators to find them.  It also protects them from rain.  I would normally expect to find leaves used by tent-making bats to be six or more feet off the ground.

I put 2 red circles around bats in this photo who are sleeping in a leaf tent that they made by notching the leaves on this tall tree (photo taken by Selina Ruzi).  The next time that I hike on this trail, I will have to investigate further so I can determine if tent-making bats used this leaf as their tent. 

- Fran Zakutansky