dr jekyll and mr hyde

Mark Edell

Ok, a little background…
I am a general contractor; I mainly work on decks, remodels or houses that need repair. Anyway, I’m working on a house that had a tree fall on it. It’s a summer home on the water and the owners were not there. They told me where they left the key, it was behind a flat piece of driftwood that they had decorated with seashells and hung by the door. I proceeded to pull out decorative item from the wall and looked behind it for the key. This is when I saw, what looked like a clump of that black, stringy mold that is common in this area. Being the intelligent individual I am, I decided to touch it. Now, being a contractor, I have seen many spices of mold but this is the first batch that had ever hissed at me.


This little guy allowed me to completely remove the driftwood, lay it flat and take a few shots. After I got the key, you’ll be happy to know that I successfully replace the driftwood with my new friend still attached.



#1 Ahh, how cute, he's sleeping



#2 Ahh look, he's waking up.



#3 YIKES!! IT"S A BAT!



#4 ... A bat that does not want to be disturbed



#5



#6 Come on, let me nibble your finger.



#7 Ahh, he's sleeping again



Thanks for looking!

Aguadulce

Nice series, like the captions. It has some serious teeth, is it an insect, fruit or vampire bat?

KurtPreston

Well, it's daylight and it didn't turn into a dust cloud, so that rules out vampire bat

Nice series! Impressive set of teeth that little guy has.

bfjr

excellent captures

don't see them everyday and I'm glad I don't :wow

Shootin1st

Excellent!

Glad he didn't get ya.

Mark Edell

Thanks for the comments! I have no clue on what kind of bat it is. I guess I'll have to look it up.

Maestro

What a find! Loved the series! How fortunate was that experience! Make sure you tell the owners that bats are good. I am sure that one will keep the insect population down. I don't know what type of bat that is either, but if you are in the south, look into the Mexican Free-Tail Bat. We have those all over Texas. I have seen literally millions flying out from under a bridge in Austin, Texas.

Mark Edell

Maestro wrote:

What a find! Loved the series! How fortunate was that experience! Make sure you tell the owners that bats are good. I am sure that one will keep the insect population down. I don't know what type of bat that is either, but if you are in the south, look into the Mexican Free-Tail Bat. We have those all over Texas. I have seen literally millions flying out from under a bridge in Austin, Texas.

Thanks,
I live in washington state. I looked it up and it appears to be a silver haired bat, a bug eater.

Aguadulce

Mark Edell wrote:

Thanks,
I live in washington state. I looked it up and it appears to be a silver haired bat, a bug eater.

Hi,

Thanks for checking, I live in Panama and we have lots of bats, all three types. The bug eaters will fly close to you at night to catch the mosquitoes that are trying to bite you. The fruit bats are larger and visit our fruit trees, they like cashews and mangos. The vampires usually feed on livestock, but if you do not have window screens they will feed on your feet/legs. Biggest risk is rabies and infection.

Great series!

Yuri Pautov

Somebody loves him and say "Oh, you are SO BEAUTIFUL!"

dlplumer

Great action captures

Mark Edell

Aguadulce wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for checking, I live in Panama and we have lots of bats, all three types. The bug eaters will fly close to you at night to catch the mosquitoes that are trying to bite you. The fruit bats are larger and visit our fruit trees, they like cashews and mangos. The vampires usually feed on livestock, but if you do not have window screens they will feed on your feet/legs. Biggest risk is rabies and infection.

Great series!

Normally, the first thing I do is look up the animal I am taking shots of but this was an unusual find for me. I was anxious to share these.

I went back out there today and the little guy was still back there, happy as could be. I didn't bother him though, he did his duty

PrescottPhotog

Mark Edell wrote:

Ok, a little background… This little guy allowed me to completely remove the driftwood, lay it flat and take a few shots. After I got the key, you’ll be happy to know that I successfully replace the driftwood with my new friend still attached.

Excellent captures Mark.. Thanks for the description and close up's.

Just a side note.. I had some problems with bats hanging out in my entryway. Dung all over the place.
I didn't want to hurt them and I also didn't want anyone to get bit. First there was one.. then two, and more and more. Finally (not knowing what to do to get rid of them) when they were out hunting I took some Wasp and Hornet Spray (that sprays 20 feet) and sprayed the areas they were hanging.. It was plenty dry by the time they would have come back. Guess what.. No more bats. It didn't hurt them cause it had dried, I guess they didn't like the smell. Every once in a while I spray the corners (it doesn't stain) and I haven't had any bats since.

Gale

Great pics
Cute all tucked up and sleeping, as in number one:>)))

Jack'll do

Cute is not a term I'd normally use to describe bats however #1 & 2 are definitely "cute". Awesome captures here! thumb