Vampire Movie Australia

[Zareen Zapata]

Whenthe pale form pushes off the branch and into the sky, the mouse hardly notices. The ghostly form flies quickly over the grass, honing in on its oblivious prey. Too late, the mouse notices a ghostly form, and begins a mad dash towards the burrow. But the pale predator lands on top of the rodent. The mouse is held by two soft, velvety capes, firm but gentle. As if it is being hugged.

Unfortunately for the mouse, this is a horror movie embrace. As it begins to struggle, the rodent feels powerful, sharp incisors clamp down on its neck, again and again. As it squeaks and makes one last push for freedom, a final bite clamps down on its head, crushing the skull to pieces.

When Halloween thoughts turn to bats, most people picture small, black flying mammals. Most think of bats as rather uniform creatures, all more or less looking the same. In reality, there are more than 1,300 bat species worldwide, and they exhibit a fascinating diversity in appearance, size, behavior and habits.

Ghost bats were once found over a large swath of Australia, but they have disappeared from the interior of the country. They are now restricted to the tropical north. At around five inches long, ghost bats are the largest bat in the suborder Microchiroptera, also known as the microbats. They are the only carnivorous bat in Australia.

Ghost bats use echolocation to find prey, but not all the time. Instead they employ a variety of hunting techniques. They often will perch on a tree, as described in the opening of this blog. They have large eyes, and they scan the grass below for prey.

Ghost bats also have large ears, enabling them to listen for small animals scurrying around below. This suite of hunting tactics makes them effective predators. This also understandably leads to people labeling them as ferocious. But bat researchers have found that false vampire bats are often gentle and protective of each other.

There was a surprising gentleness, however, displayed by both the male and female of this breeding pair. Both were exceptionally solicitous of their young. The male was observed bringing food to the female and wrapping his large wings around both mother and pup. Observations in the wild also suggest that the adults, both male and female, may take turns guarding the young at the roost while their mate goes out to hunt, returning with food to share.

Ghost bats have been in long-term decline, according to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. The species is highly susceptible to human disturbance, as is true with many bats around the globe. People encroaching on caves and mining have helped eliminate bats throughout much of their range.

Please, for the sake of all bats, can we stop using horror type language and depictions or descriptions. Yes, this species is an efficient hunter, but was it necessary to describe the repeated biting the neck and crushing the skull? No matter what you say after all of that, what people who do not love bats remember is the association with

horror, halloween, and negative images involving vampires. Perhaps the readership of this site will be more enlightened about bats but predation in most forms in nature is not pretty. The article would have been just as interesting without the sensationalized beginning. Bats are maligned enough, please think again about the type of language used to describe bats. Fear of bats has led to

horrific acts of violence wiping out entire colonies in the thousands.

I have been fascinated by bats for years. It is very discouraging that many people do not understand the role of this mammal. I teach my students in class the role of animals in nature and hope they grow up to realize the importance of saving as many species as we can. All animals have a mission and hope many more can be saved and not senselessly pushed further toward their extinction and will quickly lead to ours.

Thanks for sharing this. About 65 yrs ago when I was in high school I belonged to the Splunkers Club. One weekend as I was wiggling on my belly out of a cave, I looked up and saw a bat with a pig face and one with a mule face. I fell in love and picked them off the ceiling and put one in each pocket of my flannel shirt and took them home to my parents basement. I did realize my dad had pet spiders in his basement work shop and he would catch insects and call his spiders and they would come and he would hand feed them. He also had a very little salamander running around. Well my bats proceeded to eat his spiders and his mini salamander, dad got so mad he threw my pet bats out the back door and I never saw Muley Bates or Oscar Piggy Bates again. I was sad.

Thank you, Matt, for your article on the ghost bats of Australia that I had never heard of before. Thanks for getting the word out of how we need them as everything in nature has a niche to fill and a reason to be here! I love bats! One summer in Sonoma CA, we saw a bat making many swoops over the pool to scoop up water for a drink!

Aylmer Vance had rooms in Dover Street, Piccadilly, and now that Ihad decided to follow in his footsteps and to accept him as myinstructor in matters psychic, I found it convenient to lodge in thesame house. Aylmer and I quickly became close friends, and he showedme how to develop that faculty of clairvoyance which I had possessedwithout being aware of it. And I may say at once that this particularfaculty of mine proved of service on several important occasions.

At the same time I made myself useful to Vance in other ways, notthe least of which was that of acting as recorder of his many strangeadventures. For himself, he never cared much about publicity, and itwas some time before I could persuade him, in the interests ofscience, to allow me to give any detailed account of his experiencesto the world.

The name was familiar to me, and I wondered if this could be thesame Mr Davenant who was so well known for his polo playing and forhis success as an amateur rider, especially over the hurdles? He wasa young man of wealth and position, and I recollected that he hadmarried, about a year ago, a girl who was reckoned the greatestbeauty of the season. All the illustrated papers had given theirportraits at the time, and I remember thinking what a remarkablyhandsome couple they made.

Mr Davenant was ushered in, and at first I was uncertain as towhether this could be the individual whom I had in mind, so wan andpale and ill did he appear. A finely-built, upstanding man at thetime of his marriage, he had now acquired a languid droop of theshoulders and a shuffling gait, while his face, especially about thelips, was bloodless to an alarming degree.

He took the chair which Aylmer offered him--after the usualpreliminary civilities had been exchanged--and then glanceddoubtfully in my direction. 'I wish to consult you privately, MrVance,' he said. 'The matter is of considerable importance to myself,and, if I may say so, of a somewhat delicate nature.'

'If the matter is connected with research in my particular line,Mr Davenant,' he said, 'if there is any investigation you wish me totake up on your behalf, I shall be glad if you will include Mr Dexterin your confidence. Mr Dexter assists me in my work. But, ofcourse--.'

'Oh, no,' interrupted the other, 'if that is the case, pray let MrDexter remain. I think,' he added, glancing at me with a friendlysmile, 'that you are an Oxford man, are you not, Mr Dexter? It wasbefore my time, but I have heard of your name in connection with theriver. You rowed at Henley, unless I am very much mistaken.'

I admitted the fact, with a pleasurable sensation of pride. I wasvery keen upon rowing in those days, and a man's prowess at schooland college always remain dear to his heart..After this we quicklybecame on friendly terms, and Paul Davenant proceeded to take Aylmerand myself into his confidence.

He began by calling attention to his personal appearance. 'Youwould hardly recognize me for the same man! was a year ago,' he said.'I've been losing flesh steadily for the last six months. I came upfrom Scotland about a week ago, to consult a London doctor. I've seentwo--in fact, they've held a sort of consultation over me--but theresult, I may say, is far from satisfactory.

'Anaemia--heart' suggested Vance. He was scrutinizing his visitorkeenly, and yet without any particular appearance of doing so. 'Ibelieve it not infrequently happens that you athletes overdoyourselves--put too much strain upon the heart--'

'My heart is quite sound,' responded Davenant. 'Physically it isin perfect condition. The trouble seems to be that it hasn't enoughblood to pump into my veins. The doctors wanted to know if I had metwith an accident involving a great loss of blood--but I haven't. I'vehad no accident at all, and as for anaemia, well, I don't seem toshow the ordinary symptoms of it. The inexplicable thing is that I'velost blood without knowing it, and apparently this has been going onfor some time, for I ye been getting steadily worse. It was almostimperceptible at first--not a sudden collapse, you understand, but agradual failure of health.'

'I wonder,' remarked Vance slowly, 'what induced you to consultme? For you know, of course, the direction in which I pursue myinvestigations. May I ask if you have reason to consider that yourstate of health is due to some cause which we may describe assuper-physical?'

'There are curious circumstances,' he said in a low and earnesttone of voice. 'I've been turning them over in my mind, trying to seelight through them. I daresay it's all the sheerest folly--and I musttell you that I'm not in the least a superstitious sort of man. Idon't mean to say that I'm absolutely incredulous, but I've nevergiven thought to such things--I've led too active a life. But, as Ihave said, there are curious circumstances about my case, and that iswhy I decided upon consulting you.'

He was sitting up in his chair, his feet supported on a stool, hiselbows on his knees, his chin in his hands--a favourite attitude ofhis. 'Have you,' he suggested, slowly, 'any mark upon your body,anything that you might associate, however remotely, with yourpresent weakness and ill-health?'

3a8082e126