The National Weather Service Spotted A Massive Bat Colony On Its Weather Radar

Subsequent on the checklist? Huge bat colonies, simply in time for Halloween.

Meteorologists on the Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) in Phoenix had been taking a look at their radar screens and noticed a big cloud of movement sweeping over areas of town final Sunday, only a week earlier than the official begin of fall.

“That does not seem like a traditional bathe, the way in which every thing is type of fanning out,” NWS meteorologist Sean Benedict informed CNN affiliate KTVK. “They do not actually have a uniform path. That is normally your clue initially that it is most likely animals flying round.”

The staff shortly surmised that they had been taking a look at an infinite colony of bats.

They had been noticed round sundown, suggesting that the critters are Mexican free-tailed bats that migrated to town for the summer season, Arizona Sport and Fish Division biologist Angie McIntire informed KTVK.

Radars readings just like the one posted on the official NWS Twitter account, which is believed to point out the bats popping out of a cave, tunnel or bridge, assist scientists observe the nocturnal animals, that are tough to identify at midnight.

Though the flying mammals are sometimes related to spooky vampires, they really snack on mosquitoes and are fairly innocent.

“Bats get a extremely unhealthy rap,” McIntire stated. “However there’s actually nothing to concern relating to bats.”

There are 28 identified bat species dwelling in Arizona, the place residents usually go bat watching. Whereas the most effective time to catch them is between July and August when the colony reaches their peak, they may also be seen as late as October.

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