Vampire+Bat+(Future)


 * Mixed Bat (Mixtum Vespertilionis) ** //The Future Vampire Bat by Jacqui Chiu //
 * Extinct Animal:** Icaronycteris Index
 * Modern Day Animal:** Vampire Bat

**Habitat** The mixed bat lives in a world that is 50 million years away from now. By then the continental drift would have changed the appearance of the landmasses. It will become an ultra Pangea one day, but for now the modern-day South America has shifted northwards and even closer together to North America. Today’s California has slid up and “crashed” into the Alaskan coast. (See diagram on left). Global warming has taken its toll and the more low lying coastal areas have become flooded and covered by sea. The earth’s temperature is constantly rising due to the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Due to the continental shift and the two continents becoming closer together, the distinctions between the two landmasses have become unclear. The mixed bat occupies the same regions which the vampire bats used to, in addition to some parts of North America. Specifically, they are found in the large area that is the modern day Mexico all the way down to Argentina. (The region circled by red in the diagram on left). They are able to live in such vast areas because the movement of the continents away from the equator has countered the effects of global warming thus the temperature of their habitat is relatively the same, if not one or two degrees warmer. As the temperature is relatively the same as todays, they are able to survive. They are forced to hunt in such a vast area as they now have difficulty finding food.

There is an increased diversity of animals found in mixed bat’s habitat. The predators of the vampire bats – eagles and hawks still prey on mixed bats. Most of the animals that are found in today’s world in America still exists in the mixed bat’s time, however they have underwent drastic changes and have evolved to become even more skilled to aid their survival. Some animals like the boa constrictor and the Canis Mira Auditu (future coyote), are predators of mixed bat even though they do not really need to feed on them. Ever since humans have left the planet, there was no one left behind to run the farms and feed the farm animals. Thus all the animals have escaped and the vampire bat’s prey such as cattle, sheep, pig, horses etc. are now allowed to run free again. This made it harder for mixed bats to prey on them, so they had to adapt to their new environment and have developed the ability to prey on any land mammals that are living in this future habitat.

The actual living area of the mixed bat is quite similar to their ancestor’s. They still prefer to roost in caves, however they prefer choosing caves with a narrow entrance as there are more animals competing for living space and they have been forced to live in smaller areas. The advantage of living in caves with small entrance is to prevent their predators from entering their roost keeping them safe. This will be important because a few million years back, their big predators had begun entering their caves without being noticed, they were hidden from view by the lush trees and vegetation outside of the caves. They no longer roost in trees as they have been occupied by birds, and all man-made structures have crumbled down into rocks. Additionally, mixed bats do not share their living areas with other bat species because their small size makes it hard for them to maintain dominance over other animals. When roosting within their colony, they sleep closer together so that in their sleep they will be in contact with each other due to the lack of space and to conserve energy (as they do not need to produce as much body warmth).

** Labelled Diagram of Mixed Bat **

**Adaptations of the Mixed Bat**

Mixed bats are slightly smaller in size than vampire bats. They are, on average, only 6cm long but their wingspan is still 20cm long. It was important to develop this adaptation as a smaller body would mean they require less energy to survive. This will be crucial because it is getting more difficult to hunt for food as their prey are becoming more and more on the alert, making it hard to take their blood without being noticed. Being smaller in size also makes mixed bats more conspicuous and less likely to be noticed by their prey. Therefore, being smaller in size increases their survival rates as they are then able to survive on less food.
 * 1. Size**

The environmental pressure that leads to this adaptation was their evolving predators. Due to the continuous change in the geographic structure of the land, 50 million years into the future will mean that there were new animal species are constantly emerging and replacing their ancestors. For each generation that possess a new adaptation would mean that the species is becoming more advance and making it harder for mixed bat to survive. In order to keep pace with evolution, the mixed bat had to become smaller in size making them harder to be caught by predators.

The bones of mixed bat are much lighter in weight than that of its ancestors. This allows them to fly for longer distances without having the need to develop muscles in their arms. It helps with their survival as muscles need nutrients to be maintained, which waste too much of the mixed bat’s energy. Lighter bones also let them fly much faster, helping with its survival, as they are very speedy in the air and they can easily escape from eagles and other predators. Also, light bones will give them enough lift for flight which will again conserve the energy so that they can live for a longer time without needing to hunt.
 * 2. Lighter Bones**

A possible environmental pressure that led to this adaptation was because predators became and extremely large threat to the survival of their species. Eagles were learning from experience and becoming too intelligent as they have understood how to counter all the techniques which the mixed bat uses to avoid becoming its prey (e.g. travelling in groups when hunting). Also, after humans left Earth to live on another planet, there was no one left to look after farms. Thus cows and other farm animals were able to roam around freely, and were not confined to one area. Mixed bats then had to choose between flying long distances to prey on them or to choose another food source.

Just like its ancestor, mixed bats have dark-brown fur all over their body. Contrary to popular belief, they have not lost their fur because the temperature of their environment is roughly the same (refer to the Habitat section for more details). Previously, the vampire bat had fur on all parts of its body except on its ears and tail. Now, the mixed bat has fur spread all over their body, except on its wings. This helps with its survival because when they return to their roost, they need to squeeze through a narrow entrance before making into the cave. Without the fur, the mixed bat is not “well-padded” and can easily injure itself, becoming weaker and less likely to attract a mate to reproduce with. It also helps with conserving body heat because the night-time temperature of their habitat is still colder than day time. Their fur can keep them warm, and they do not need other internal body processes to produce warmth.
 * 3. Fur on body**

The environmental pressure that caused this adaptation would be because of their need to remain competitive to over the threats that their predators present. If the mixed bat did not live in a cave, where the entrance is quite narrow, the predator would be able to intrude into the cave and attack them in a group. Although there is safety in numbers, the small bat would be too small to fend for themselves unless they used their ability to fly to escape. In order to ensure that the mixed bat can continue to live on

This adaptation is a well-known feature that can found be found in the modern-day [|hippopotamus]. No bats had this ability before. The vampire bat was a nocturnal creature that would rarely be found to be awake in the mornings, unless it was migrating from one roost to another. However mixed bats have developed this adaptation as it increases their chances of survival in the environment. Being active both day and night means that they can choose when to rest depending on the surrounding situation (e.g. if eagles had gone without food, they would stay awake to avoid being “sprung” on at night). It also lets them from any situation no matter what time of day the event is happening.
 * 4. Being both nocturnal and diurnal**

The environmental pressure that led to this adaptation was the change in temperature. Previously, the vampire bat was forced to move around at night as this could keep them warm and waste less energy on preserving body heat. However, since the temperature remains relatively constant throughout the day, mixed bats can become more flexible and are not confined to moving just at night because both times of the day are warm enough for them to rest without needing to produce body warmth.

In our modern world only certain types of bats possess this adaptation, these are the New World leaf-nosed bat, plain nose bats etc. In this unusual adaptation, the female bat is able to store the sperm in the uterus after copulation. This adaptation helps the mixed bat survive and reproduce because if there is insufficient food in the environment, they will starve to death. This means that both the mother and baby mixed bat will die, that’s two lives lost. However, once they have the ability to delay fertilization by 20 days, it is likely that during this time food can be found which will increase chances of survival. Also, by delaying fertilization it can ensure that the offspring is born at a time where there is an abundance of resources.
 * 5. Delayed Fertilization**

The environmental pressure that led to this adaptation was the increased difficulty to find food. As previously stated, the process of natural selection has occurred numerous times now and only the fittest animals of our time have lived on. These animals are able to react quickly which makes it difficult for mixed bats to prey on them and survival chances are quite unpredictable.

**Evolution pressure** The mixed bat has developed these adaptations because of the changing environment and the animals within it, forcing them to evolve from the vampire bat. Since their predators have also become more intelligent, it became harder for the mixed bat to survive, as their previous survival techniques have been countered by the predators. The only way for them to escape from their predators was to develop the abilities that will let them flee from dangerous situation. As previously mentioned, after humans left, cattle were no longer kept in herds and became scattered across America. The mixed bat had to find new prey, which, over time became more sensitive to their presence forcing them to develop adaptations that would make them more conspicuous (e.g. smaller in size, lighter in weight) and being able to feel full on less food. In addition, the lack of food meant unnecessary deaths of mother and baby bats which has led them to develop the ability to delay fertilization. If the mixed bat had not evolved they would have become extinct, just like the vampire bat as the living conditions are much more fierce and competitive and without evolutio vampire bat's lineage will cease to exist.

Bibliography:
 * 1) The Natural History Museum. (2011). //The Secret Life of Bats.// Retrieved June 18, 2011 from []
 * 2) Novel Guide. (2011). //Chiroptera (Bats).// Retrieved June 18, 2011 from []
 * 3) Wikipedia. (2011) //The Future of the Earth.// Retrieved June 17, 2011 from []
 * 4) P. Tara . (2007). //Bat Delayed Fertilization.// Retrieved June 18, 2011 from []