Bat Moms

Infant bats in colonies stay in the nursery--hundreds and sometimes millions! Their moms visit several times a day to nurse, coo, groom, etc. They don't care for random babies; they find their own by smell and sound.

Our science book suggested a project to demonstrate how amazing this is. I don't do nearly enough projects, but managed to pull it together today. I gathered multiple scents, and deposited them on cotton balls.

We took turns getting blindfolded and taking a whiff of our own "babies". That scented ball was put back on the plate, and the "mom" had to try to find the particular scent in the crowd.I thought it would be too easy because the scents were so strong and distinctive (maple flavoring, nail polish remover, fabric softener, etc.). As it turned out, the cacophany of strong scents overwhelmed us--no one was able to find the right one. Score one more for the instincts of God's creatures!