{"id":937574,"date":"2026-10-23T01:52:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937574\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T01:52:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:52:27","slug":"cave-divers-and-rangers-search-for-rare-ghost-bats-after-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937574\/","title":{"rendered":"Cave divers and rangers search for rare ghost bats after flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deep in Queensland’s outback, flat, scorched country plunges into a maze of caves marked only by a few limestone boulders.<\/p>\n

For Indjalandji-Dhidhanu traditional owner Ian Saltmere, Camooweal’s cave network, about two hours north of Mount Isa, is more than a geological phenomenon.<\/p>\n

“In our dream time, there’s what we call a rough-tailed goanna and that’s where he goes and digs his hole and that [cave is] where he came out of,” Mr Saltmere said.<\/p>\n

\"Internal<\/p>\n

The complex network of caves covers the country about two hours north of Mount Isa.\u00a0 (Supplied: Stewart Donn)<\/p>\n

But in 2023, flooding swept through the region, inundating the labyrinth of underground caves.<\/p>\n

“I’d seen the caves just filling up one after another and then \u2026 it started circling,” Mr Saltmere said. “It was like a whirlpool.”<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

Ian Saltmere says the flooding in 2023 turned outback caves into whirlpools of water. (ABC News: Tim Little)<\/p>\n

As the floodwater receded, attention turned to a rare colony of endangered ghost bats feared to have been wiped out.<\/p>\n

A new research project, co-ordinated by the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation in collaboration with traditional owners and cave divers, is working to understand whether the bats have survived and how the isolated population can be protected.<\/p>\n

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service senior conservation officer John Augusteyn said finding answers was critical to the species’ survival.<\/p>\n

“Ghost bats are listed as endangered \u2026 they’ve declined across their range and in numbers,” Mr Augusteyn said.<\/p>\n

\"QPWS<\/p>\n

John Augusteyn says acoustic recorders have been used to help estimate how many bats are in the area.\u00a0 (ABC News: Tim Little)<\/p>\n

A bat-eating bat<\/p>\n

With an upturned nose and white fur, Australia’s largest carnivorous bat is unmistakeable.<\/p>\n

Mr Augusteyn said the mammal was found right across northern and central Australia and it fed on prey including snakes, birds and other bats.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ghost bats live across northern Australia and roost in hot, humid caves. (Supplied: John Augusteyn\/Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation)<\/p>\n

“They can actually catch them on the wing when they’re flying through but, often, they’re almost like owls, where they will sit in a favourite perch listening for their prey below,” he said.<\/p>\n

“They can hear both low and high frequency calls, which means they can listen for their prey and also detect it using echolocation.”<\/p>\n

But in recent years, cane toads, mining development and cave disturbances have left many of their former roosting sites empty.<\/p>\n

The search for scat<\/p>\n

Ghost bats are notoriously difficult to find, so researchers have turned to the bats’ droppings for clues about the colony’s survival.<\/p>\n

Grant Pearce is the lead cave diver responsible for collecting the precious samples.<\/p>\n

“They’re a particular size and a particular shape and even a particular odour. We don’t taste them though,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Grant Pearce has been diving deep into the cave network in search of ghost bat scat.\u00a0 (ABC News: Tim Little)<\/p>\n

Using environmental DNA (eDNA) droppings and collected prey samples, researchers have started analysing how many bats are thought to exist in the colony, what they are eating and even if they are pregnant.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Cody Saltmere releases a ghost bat found outside a Camooweal cave. (Supplied: John Augusteyn\/Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation)<\/p>\n

But working in caves in a landscape where temperatures regularly reach 40 degrees Celsius is no easy feat.<\/p>\n

“We have to abseil down into them, and we pop down into large galleries big enough to fit several houses in,” Mr Pearce said.<\/p>\n

“It’s pretty hot work down there \u2026 you can sweat buckets of water on each trip without any problem at all.<\/p>\n

“But it’s worth it when you actually find what you’re looking for.”<\/p>\n

\"Prey<\/p>\n

Researchers use techniques such as prey sampling to assess how the species is faring. (Supplied: Indjalandji Dhidhanu Aboriginal Corporation)<\/p>\n

Bittersweet findings<\/p>\n

While the full results are not expected until later next year, preliminary testing has confirmed the endangered bats survived the flooding.<\/p>\n

Mr Augusteyn said small pockets of air deep within the cave network may have allowed the bats to survive until the floodwater receded.<\/p>\n

But further examination revealed population numbers were dwindling and the colony was genetically isolated.<\/p>\n

“Sadly, it’s a very low genetic diversity,” he said.<\/p>\n

“If they go extinct, there’s no chance of recolonisation.”<\/p>\n

\"Researchers<\/p>\n

Researchers and rangers will return early next year to finalise survey work and DNA collection. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0 (Supplied: Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation)<\/p>\n

As the wet season approaches, researchers and divers will have to return in the new year to finish the final stages of fieldwork.<\/p>\n

Key questions about where and when the bats breed remain unanswered, but Mr Saltmere is determined to uncover the species’ secrets.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got to look after them \u2026 it’s something to fight for,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deep in Queensland’s outback, flat, scorched country plunges into a maze of caves marked only by a few…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":937575,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,504027,32969,436295,504029,504028,128,338],"class_list":["post-937574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cave-divers-search-for-ghost-bats","tag-ghost-bat","tag-indigenous-ranger","tag-largest-carnivorous-bat","tag-queensland-rangers","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}