One of the tinier victims of the legendary wildfires that--fueled by drought, heat, and strong, dry Santa Ana winds--swept these hills and canyons last fall, a California myotis bat, Myotis californicus, clings to National Geographic's Mary Crooks. Ordinarily, the bat would dine on insects caught during its nightly flights. But too close a brush with fire left it singed and flightless.
Fortunately for this year-old bat, biologist Diana Simons rescued and adopted it.
Fires can cause devastating financial loss--more than 1,500 human homes were destroyed in the October 2007 California fires. They kill much wildlife too, but are an essential part of natural ecological cycles.
Photograph by Jocelyn Holt/NPS
POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 1:33 AM PDT
