ANABAT – Searching for bats
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under Photojournalism & Story Telling
Morgan sets up the ANABAT, an ingenious little device which translates and records the usually inaudible high frequency echolocating calls of bats to an audible signal – so that we can then have the bat species present in an area (in this case the Pilbara region of WA) identified based on their unique call signatures.
See more of an explanation behind the process after the jump…
Technology and science have always been closely intertwined. For example, our ability to detect unseen forces like magnetism and gravity have, for the most part, exceeded our relatively meagre biological sensory abilities as human beings. As humans, we aren’t really that remarkable in our sensory ability. Compared to the tremendous diversity of wildlife on earth, we have stereo vision which is relatively good, a relatively weak sense of smell and relatively poor hearing – all limiting factors when it comes to understanding our amazingly complex environment.
One instance where this state of affairs is clearly apparent is in the current practice of bioacoustics and the study of animal calls – encompassing everything from the howl of a wolf to the trumpeting reverberations made by elephants. One of the most fascinating things about this sphere of biology is that scientists are only beginning to understand the complicated language of animals which until recently remained undetectable and mysterious thanks to our relatively meagre sense of hearing.
Bats are one such example, a group famous for their known for their remarkable sense of echolocation – which for the most part is based on acoustic signals far outside the frequency range that we as humans can detect. What is amazing is that with current technological advancements, it is now possible for field biologists to relatively easily measure and records these calls, translating a whole frequency of acoustic signals to a measurable staccato which can then be analysed in a laboratory, and even be made audible to our own ears. Much like the unique calls of different species of birds, what scientists have come to to understand is that each species of bat emits a unique series of ‘notes’ (which make up the ‘call’) – a fact that can then be exploited by field biologists who need to survey and identify bat species in their studies.
This is what Morgan is doing here. As part of a wildlife survey in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, his job is to find and identify all the animal species in the area – bats included. Until recently, bats could only be identified by the labour intensive process of mist-netting, whereby bats are actually captured and identified (by their unique genital structure, but that’s another story!). Using the ANABAT recorders means that this practice can be avoided, and species can be identified based on their unique call structure. The ANABAT recorders are left overnight in areas where bats are thought to be active (Caves, Rocky outcrops, Rivers, Water bodies etc.) and the recordings are analysed by experts back in Perth.
Tags: biology, creative lighting, photojournalism
One Response to “ANABAT – Searching for bats”
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Jeroth Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 1:27 pmThat is freakin awesome man, let alone the amazing photo/lighting, keep it up bro.
