It is conceivable that the bats caught could have come from a distant part of the range or even the Rimutaka ranges. The remaining three were tracked back to the same area, although one had changed its roosting site. The tracking was wound up after a week, as the transmitters, which are glued to the back of the bat, generally fall off after a week. The bats groom each other and chew the transmitters. He says very little is known about the bats, but the more people learn the easier it will be to protect them from further decline.
Scientists already know about a few tricks the bats use to deter predators.
Mr Foster says the bats eat nectar and pollen from trees in the bush, but also spend a lot of time on the ground, eating insects. They've got a method of folding their wings away and waddling around quite capably. Mr Foster says one of the most cheering aspects of the find is that the Tararuas can still support such a threatened animal. The fact that they are still there is a reasonable indication there's still some good health left in the forest.