National Weather Station (NWS) meteorologists based at a new station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico have discovered a colony of bats, estimated at about one million, in a mountain area 80 km. south west of Ciudad Juarez. The colony was discovered after meteorologists, using a special radar device, found unexplained readings each evening. The hypersensitive radar, similar to 'Doppler', was installed last March at the new Santa Teresa NWS near the Mexican border of Chihuahua State, to determined the presence and formation of clouds and the amount of rain they could produce.
Jack Mercer, coordinator for the station, explained they kept seeing signals every evening in the radar, that would expand and stay in the air for about an hour and then disappear. The signal caught their attention because storm clouds do not start at the same place and time every day. After looking for an explanation, meteorologists contacted Arthur Harris, professor at the University of Texas, El Paso and an expert on bats, who guessed it was a bat colony of one million or more. Harris said the colony size could equal the number at Carlsbad, NM.
Harris said bats are often registered in radars in the center of Texas, around Austin, but a large number is necessary for this to happen. According to Mercer, nobody has ever discovered the colony in question, but it is clear it exists. He added the bats have not shown up since the end of October, but this is due to their winter migration to the south, towards the tropical areas of Mexico.
Because of their characteristics, it is probable the colony is made up of Mexican Free Tail bats, one of 20 species found in the border area. Experts say bats are beneficial because they eat thousands of insects harmful to humans and crops.
Source: Diario de Juarez