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80 lines
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80 lines
3.7 KiB
HTML
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<!-- from Cambridge Underground 1983 p 20 -->
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
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<title>
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1982: Cambridge Underground report
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</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
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<h3>THE BATS OF 115</h3>
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<p align=right>Dave Brindle
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<p>While exploring the side pasages around the underground camp in 115, we
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discovered a number of dead bats. Although bats are known to live in other
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caves in Austria, such as the Mammuthohle in the Dachstein, these were the
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first ones we had seen in the Totes Gebirge. No live ones were seen, but we
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found a total of six dead ones, each lying on the floor in regions of large
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dry passage. They were all well preserved, owing to the cold dry atmosphere,
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and it is not known how long ago they died. We collected two and took them
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out, and our local contact, Dr. Gunther Graf, sent them to Vienna. They were
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identified as follows:-
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<ol>
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<li> <i>Myotis mystacinus</i>
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<li> <i>Barbastella barbastellus</i>
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</ol>
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The first one is a small insect-eating bat (wingspan 225mm) common in most of
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Europe. It lives in trees and buildings during the summer, and hibernates in
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cellars and caves in the winter. The average life expectancy is less than
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five years. The second one is slightly larger (wingspan 260mm) but fairly
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rare, and little is known about its habits. Both are now in the Natural
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History Museum in Vienna.
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<p>Initially we were surprised to find them so far underground. The camp was
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about 1500m from and 350m below the entrance to 115. We discussed this with a
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local caver, Karl Gaisberger, and he said it was quite normal to find bats so
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far underground. However, the sketch survey we were plotting during
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exploraion showed that the end of the Futility Series, which forms part of
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the phreatic passage at the level of the underground camp, was within 100m,
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horizontally, of the hillside below the entrance to 115. It seemed likely
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that the extensive horizontal development at this level had been intersected
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by the valley, to give another entrance which the bats had found. The
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Futility Series ends in a small draughting hole where the mud floor rises
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nearly to the roof, and at the time this was not pushed. A brief examination
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of the hillside below 115 found nothing, as the valley sides are very rugged
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- alternate cliffs and scree slopes. To find exactly where an entrance would
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emerge, we intend next year to do a surface survey down from the entrance of
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115, plotting as we go, to find the place on the hillside nearest ot the
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known cave, which can then be searched more thoroughly. The entrances to 41
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(at about 1600m) and 115 (at 1400m) are both old phreatic passages
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subsequently cut off by the valley, and it seems almost certain that there
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will be another entrance at about 1200m. At this altitude, there should be a
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substantial outward draught.
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul>
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<li>1982 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1983:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="report.htm">CUCC in Austria</a> - Phil Townsend</li>
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<li><a href="41gd.htm">Stellerweg Guidebook Description</a> by Pete Lancaster</li>
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<li><a href="41svy.htm">Stellerweg Survey</a> article by Andy Waddington</li>
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<li><a href="41camp.htm">The Underground Camp</a> by Chas Butcher</li>
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<li><a href="newbit.htm">New Discoveries</a> 1982 by Mike Thomas</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1982">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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</html>
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