100,000 Dead Bats Fall From the Sky in Queensland, Australia During Heat Wave
Posted on January 8, 2014
An estimated 100,000 dead bats have fallen from the sky during a heat wave in Queensland, Australia. The Telegraph reports that the "smell of rotting carcasses" is filling towns. Temperatures have reached 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) during the heat wave.
The Courier Mail reports that workers from Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland have been taken in surviving bats that are still alive, but struggling, and have been overwhelmed by the numbers.
Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland president Louise Saunders told the Courier Mail, "Anything over 43 degrees and they just fall. We're just picking up those that are just not coping and are humanely euthanasing what we can."
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology recently issued a Special Climate Statement (PDF) about the intense heatwave in central and eastern Australia. Take a look:
- Fossil of Giant Freshwater Turtle Discovered
- Hubble Observes Stormy Weather on Jupiter
- Australian Spider Named After Marvel's Venom
- NASA's JWST Captures New Views of NGC 604
- Ancient Giant Sea Lizard Had Dagger-Like Teeth