Ask an Expert

Do you have a question about the desert that no one seems to be able to answer?
Well, here is your chance to get the answer. Ranger Pat will give you the scientific answer to your most complicated question.

Be as specific as you can so you can get a good answer. Allow one week for a response.

Example:
Average Joe: What is the little bat that hits my pool every night?

Ranger Pat: This bat is called a Western Pipistrel and it is getting water and bugs from the surface of your pool.
Western Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus hesperus
These tiny bats have golden fur and black face masks. On average, they weigh only slightly more than a penny, and even with their wings spread, they are only about the width of a human hand.
They fly slow and make erratic movements.
Year-round, they typically live in rock crevices and in cliff faces. With tiny bodies and large areas of wing surface, such bats are exceptionally vulnerable to dehydration and temperature stress.
Pipistrelles feed on a wide variety of small insects, including house flies, mosquitoes, flying ants, and many kinds of moths, bugs, and beetles. Many insects are caught high above the ground, though aquatic kinds are often skimmed directly from the surface of ponds or rivers as they hatch.

To better observe these tiny bats, try watching a pool of water at dusk. With luck, you may see them dipping down to drink by the dozens.

Western pipistrelles are among the first bats to emerge in the evening.