Bats in the mine

2There is a new excitement among the young visitors of the Marie Pit, an at least 500 years old mine in Weinheim. Descending into the mine’s old tunnels is always an adventure itself. The mine impressively demonstrates the change in mining techniques from medieval mining to shooting with black powder in the 18th century. The deeper levels were once flooded, and here you can see numerous traces of old tools and a shaft carpentry which were preserved well in the water. Touching minerals or observing them with microscopes while listening to stories about the treasures of the mountain are also exciting things to do, but the kids have new favourites nowadays: bats. The Myotis myotis, the greater mouse-eared bat, an inhabitant of old church towers and deadwood trees in the forests, is increasingly under threat in this region. The declining insect diversity, ever-increasing sprawl of urban areas, the structure of “modern buildings” which leaves no space or gaps for the animals are the sad factors which are exiling these interesting animals to mine tunnels and crevices in quarry walls. Between October and April, the first level of Marie Pit is an important winter residence for the bats.

Bats in the mine Thanks to some frightening tales, bats may not be the most popular animals, but seeing them up close, peacefully sleeping and learning about the story of their protection, definitely makes them much more lovable. Accompanied by the bat expert, Dr Andreas Arnold, the volunteer-run Historical Mining Association Odenwald decided to do something to protect these interesting animals. To analyze and understand their behaviour better they installed several data meters in the mine pit to measure temperature and they are also counting the bat population. Based on the results Dr Arnold can propose protection measures for the Regional Administrative Council of Karlsruhe. Funded by the town of Weinheim and the Geo-Naturepark, the mining association hopes to stabilise the numbers of the greater mouse-eared bat population. seeing them up close, peacefully sleeping and learning about the story of their protection, definitely makes them much more lovable

TRAVELLING VOICES she even has a nickname: Ida, after the daughter of the Norwegian paleontologist Jørn Hurum, who found her

Darwinius masillae, one of our earliest ancestors (Photo by Per Aas).