Long-tailed bat (pekapeka)

This task is about how features of a bat help it to survive.

Long-tailed bats

Live in forests
Sleep in hollow trees
Spend each night in a different place
Eat flying insects such as moths, mosquitoes, midges, and beetles
Make noises that bounce back off objects in front of them
Hibernate when the weather is cold.

labelled diagram of long-tailed bat pekapeka

Image source: DOC

Question 2Change answer

a) From the diagram or the bullet points identify three features of the long-tailed bat.

Describe in detail how each feature helps it to survive.

a) From the diagram or the bullet points identify three features of the long-tailed bat.

Describe in detail how each feature helps it to survive.

Feature	How the feature helps the bat to survive

Answers/responses:

Any three of:	How the feature helps the bat survive	Y6 (08/2006)
Live in forests	Links to food supply/ what it eats (explicit link).	3 explicit and correct links to survival – very difficult 2 explicit and correct links to survival – difficult 1 explicit and correct link to survival – moderate 3 answers that included both explicit and correct, and implied or tenuous links to survival, or just the latter – moderate 2 answers that included both explicit and correct, or implied or tenuous links to survival, or just the latter – moderate 1 implied or tenuous link to survival – easy
Sleep in hollow trees	Links to safety from predators, or to keeping warm (explicit link).
Spend each night in a different place	Links to predators (explicit link) Refers to having to keep moving (implied or tenuous link).
Eat flying insects such as moths, mosquitoes, midges, and beetles	Links to food/ eating necessary for survival (explicit link).
Make noises that bounce back off objects in front of it	Links to finding food, or escaping from prey, or navigation, or so they don't hit things (explicit link). Makes reference to hearing/vibrations (implied or tenuous link).
Hibernate when the weather is cold	Links to saving energy or makes reference to food scarcity (explicit link). Links to survival in winter without specifying how (implied or tenuous link).
Ears	Links to hearing prey (insects), or predators, or danger (explicit link). Links to hearing things/ sounds bouncing back (implied or tenuous link). NOTE: Do not accept "so they can hear".
Brown colour	Links to camouflage, or hiding from predators or prey (explicit link).
Light weight (8-11 grams)	Links to being able to fly to catch flying insects/ food, or escape from enemies (explicit link). Discusses flying without specifying why this is an advantage (implied or tenuous link).
Long tail that can scoop up insects	Links to catching food (explicit link). Makes reference to flying insects without linking to food supply (implied or tenuous link). NOTE: Do not accept "to scoop up insects".
Long front limbs	Makes reference to flying linked to food or escape (explicit link). Links to wing structure or ability to fly (implied or tenuous link).	See above
Skin between front and back legs to form "wings".	Links to food or escape from predators (explicit link). Makes reference to forming wings, or to getting around (implied or tenuous link). NOTE: Do not accept "so it can fly".	See above

Teaching and learning:

Adaptation is an important idea in science because looking at animal or plant structures gives us some clues about their needs. This is especially important when we are looking at animals and plants that are under threat, such as the long-tailed bat, so we can think about their needs in the future. However, when thinking about their needs, it is also important that students have some contextual knowledge so they do not reach faulty conclusions. For example, if students don't know that the long-tailed bat feeds on flying insects, they are unlikely to connect ability to fly to gathering food.

NEMP research and ARB trials have shown that students have difficulty with identifying how adaptations help a plant or animal survive in a particular environment.

Diagnostic and formative information:

Explicit and implied answers
When students' responses were analysed, two levels of reasonable answers were identified (although not for all features):

explicit and correct links to survival (best answers);
implied or tenuous links to survival. These answers provide a good starting point for questioning that helps students make these links. Go to Next steps.

Another level of response identified was:

well-reasoned use of information provided, but incorrect because of lack of background knowledge (16 responses). Students providing this level of answer are demonstrating that they are able to make inferences from the information they are presented with.

For some features (ears, tail, and skin to form wings), given or implicit information was repeated without any further clarification by some students. These students require explicit teaching on using information. See Next steps.

Eight students tried to match the behavioural adaptations to the structural adaptations, i.e. they misunderstood the task. Students who do this will benefit from close reading of the instructions. See also Next steps.

The ears and tail were the two features most commonly chosen by students, followed by skin between the front and back legs to form "wings".

For the feature skin between front and back legs to form "wings", only 8 students identified the ability to fly was important for catching their food (flying insects). Most linked flying to escaping from predators.

Common misconceptions

Common response

Likely reason for misconception

Bats are blind/ have poor sight (17 responses)

A common saying, "as blind as a bat", perpetuates this misconception. Bats are able to see as well as other small mammals. However, their ability to echolocate allows them to move around and feed in complete darkness. They therefore have an additional sense.

They hibernate so they don't freeze/ to keep warm (10 responses)

Because bats huddle together when they hibernate, and this takes place during colder weather, this is not a surprising misconception. However, it is more complicated. About 80% of a bat's surface area is the wing membrane which is hairless and therefore uninsulated. Bats can lose a lot of moisture from this area (as well as becoming too hot or cold), so they choose roosts that have high humidity.

Bats lower their body temperature when it is cold rather than trying to keep warm. This saves energy when food is scarce (the reason for hibernating).

Next steps:

Strategies to assist students who cannot describe how a bat's features help it survive.

Language difficulties

The task includes two specialist science words that may cause problems for some students:

i)	Feature – something that you notice. In this resource that can be something about the structure of a bat, for example, wings, ears, or behaviours, for example, eating insects, hibernating.
ii)	Survive – to stay alive. This is linked to basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and protection from enemies. (Reproduction is another need, but is related to survival of the species rather than survival of the individual, and is not dealt with in this resource.)

Particular attention should be paid to discussing these words, especially with ESOL learners, or learners with limited vocabulary, but it is worth checking that all students are familiar with the meaning of these words.

Connection or linking difficulties (between the feature and survival)
Specific unpacking of the relationship between the feature and what bats need to survive may be helpful. Ask questions that link specifically to a need:

Why does a bat need wings to catch its food?
How does making noises that bounce off objects help a bat find its way in the dark?

Explore these relationships in a context that is very familiar to students. An example using a cat follows.

Cat's features	Questions about how the feature helps it survive	Possible responses
Claws	How do they help it: get its food or water? protect it from its enemies?	Can hold and rip up mice and birds/climb trees to get birds. They help fight off enemies.
Sharp teeth	How do they help it get its food or water? protect it from its enemies?	They are the right sort of teeth for chewing up meat. They help fight off enemies.
Eyes that see at night	How do they help it get its food or water? protect it from its enemies?	It can hunt for animals such as mice that are out at night. It can see its enemies.
Fast runner	How does this help it get its food or water? protect it from its enemies?	It can move quickly to catch its food. It can run fast to escape.
Rough tongue	How does this help it get its food or water? protect it from its enemies?	(All mammals have a tongue. Focus on the roughness.) The rough bits hold water so it can lap up water quickly. Not useful. Another use is for keeping clean which helps protect it from disease

Extending thinking about needs being linked to specific adaptations:
Explore how structural adaptations (shown on the diagram) contribute to the behavioural adaptations (presented in the written information).

Provide "What if?" scenarios as discussion starters:

What if a long–tailed bat was injured and could not fly?
What if there are no suitable trees left for roosting?
What if they had to hunt in the daytime?

Encourage students to explore cause and effect.
Watch for responses that suggest that bats can change their features at will (a common misconception). Adaptations only occur over many generations.

Suggest a change to a bat's features and ask students to think about how it might affect the bat:

What would happen if the bat was yellow instead of brown?
What would happen if it had feet shaped like an elephant's? (It couldn't hang in its roost.)
What would happen if it couldn't catch insects on its tail?

Compare the needs of long-tailed bats and short tailed bats (which feed off insects on the forest floor), perhaps by using a Venn diagram. Focus on their slightly different needs to examine how their adaptations help them meet these.

Investigate and compare fantails (which also eat flying insects) with long-tailed bats. Ask students to think of the advantages and disadvantages of their different adaptations to meet a similar need.

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Long-tailed bat (pekapeka)

Long-tailed bat (pekapeka)

Question 2Change answer