Oz bats' brains boil in heatwave

Sydney heatwave

fries bats' brains

Hundreds of bats have died in sweltering conditions in Australia, with many dropping from their perches as the scorching temperatures ‘fried their brains’, wildlife officials said last week. A record-breaking heatwave saw the mercury rise to 45°C in Sydney's western suburb of Campbelltown where hundreds, if not thousands, of the animals fell from trees after succumbing to the heat. ‘They basically boil,’ Campbelltown flying fox colony manager Kate Ryan said. ‘It affects their brain – their brain just fries and they become incoherent. It would be like standing in the middle of a sandpit with no shade.’ The flying fox, Australia's largest bat, is listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species nationally with its survival ranked as a ‘critical priority’ under local laws.