mirror of
https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/
synced 2024-12-18 14:32:23 +00:00
80 lines
3.7 KiB
HTML
80 lines
3.7 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<!-- from Cambridge Underground 1983 p 20 -->
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
|
|
<title>
|
|
1982: Cambridge Underground report
|
|
</title>
|
|
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/main2.css" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<h3>THE BATS OF 115</h3>
|
|
<p align=right>Dave Brindle
|
|
|
|
<p>While exploring the side pasages around the underground camp in 115, we
|
|
discovered a number of dead bats. Although bats are known to live in other
|
|
caves in Austria, such as the Mammuthohle in the Dachstein, these were the
|
|
first ones we had seen in the Totes Gebirge. No live ones were seen, but we
|
|
found a total of six dead ones, each lying on the floor in regions of large
|
|
dry passage. They were all well preserved, owing to the cold dry atmosphere,
|
|
and it is not known how long ago they died. We collected two and took them
|
|
out, and our local contact, Dr. Gunther Graf, sent them to Vienna. They were
|
|
identified as follows:-
|
|
|
|
<ol>
|
|
<li> <i>Myotis mystacinus</i>
|
|
<li> <i>Barbastella barbastellus</i>
|
|
</ol>
|
|
|
|
The first one is a small insect-eating bat (wingspan 225mm) common in most of
|
|
Europe. It lives in trees and buildings during the summer, and hibernates in
|
|
cellars and caves in the winter. The average life expectancy is less than
|
|
five years. The second one is slightly larger (wingspan 260mm) but fairly
|
|
rare, and little is known about its habits. Both are now in the Natural
|
|
History Museum in Vienna.
|
|
|
|
<p>Initially we were surprised to find them so far underground. The camp was
|
|
about 1500m from and 350m below the entrance to 115. We discussed this with a
|
|
local caver, Karl Gaisberger, and he said it was quite normal to find bats so
|
|
far underground. However, the sketch survey we were plotting during
|
|
exploraion showed that the end of the Futility Series, which forms part of
|
|
the phreatic passage at the level of the underground camp, was within 100m,
|
|
horizontally, of the hillside below the entrance to 115. It seemed likely
|
|
that the extensive horizontal development at this level had been intersected
|
|
by the valley, to give another entrance which the bats had found. The
|
|
Futility Series ends in a small draughting hole where the mud floor rises
|
|
nearly to the roof, and at the time this was not pushed. A brief examination
|
|
of the hillside below 115 found nothing, as the valley sides are very rugged
|
|
- alternate cliffs and scree slopes. To find exactly where an entrance would
|
|
emerge, we intend next year to do a surface survey down from the entrance of
|
|
115, plotting as we go, to find the place on the hillside nearest ot the
|
|
known cave, which can then be searched more thoroughly. The entrances to 41
|
|
(at about 1600m) and 115 (at 1400m) are both old phreatic passages
|
|
subsequently cut off by the valley, and it seems almost certain that there
|
|
will be another entrance at about 1200m. At this altitude, there should be a
|
|
substantial outward draught.
|
|
|
|
<hr />
|
|
<!-- LINKS -->
|
|
<ul id="links">
|
|
<li>1982 Expedition info:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
|
|
<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1983:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="report.htm">CUCC in Austria</a> - Phil Townsend</li>
|
|
<li><a href="41gd.htm">Stellerweg Guidebook Description</a> by Pete Lancaster</li>
|
|
<li><a href="41svy.htm">Stellerweg Survey</a> article by Andy Waddington</li>
|
|
<li><a href="41camp.htm">The Underground Camp</a> by Chas Butcher</li>
|
|
<li><a href="newbit.htm">New Discoveries</a> 1982 by Mike Thomas</li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
|
|
</ul></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1982">Index</a> to all publications</li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|