14 Oct, 2007

In the early evening, thousands of wrinkle-lipped bats leave the cave where they live in Phitsanulok province in north-central Thailand to hunt for insects.

This area of Thailand is home to some wonderful limestone cliffs and caves. The caves are home to numerous fascinating creatures, the most conspicuous of which are the many species of bats. In Red Cliff cave alone, there are reportedly about 1-million wrinkle-lipped bats (Chaerephon plicata).

I went into this cave as dusk was approaching and positioned myself just inside.

There is always a certain amount of noise coming from these bats, but as the sun set and the light began to fail, the level of sound coming from the depths of the cave began to increase.  Soon bats were on the wing and approaching the mouth of the cave. At first, they wheeled around the entrance, going out and then sweeping back in again as if reluctant to leave.

Pretty soon, though, there was a steady stream of bats pouring away from the cave and I caught a fleeting glimpse of some kind of bird of prey swoop in amongst them.

There were so many bats going past me that I could feel the air moving as if there was a strong breeze blowing. I was also being bombarded by urine and faeces.

Gradually the numbers of bats increased and the fluttering of their wings and their squeaking rose to a crescendo, until the air was absolutely thick with them.

I changed position to outside the cave. This involved grabbing my gear and running out the same way the bats were going. I was engulfed by them and was very glad to have my hat on.

After they left the cave, the bats streamed across the countryside in an amazing column, twisting and spiralling like a giant, flying snake.

I wondered how far they would go before starting to forage and have subsequently learnt that some go more than 20km (12mi) from the cave.

I noticed that the bats coming out towards the end of the column flew higher and in a more leisurely manner and began to feed straight away.

The earliest bats evolved about 50-million years ago. It is incredible to think that we may be witness to a spectacle that may have been enacted here every night since long before humans walked the earth.

– By Darryl Sweetland, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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