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One group of native mammals that is still seen regularly around the harbour, are bats, in particular Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus. These large, sometimes noisy and much maligned bats can often be seen roosting in the Botanic Gardens, a site they have known to have occupied for over 100 years. Another smaller species of flying fox, the Little Red Flying-fox Pteropus scapulatus, is also present in Sydney during some years.
At least 14 different species of micro-bats or insectivorous bats have also been recorded from the harbour region over the last 120 years although only 6-10 species are likely to occur in the area today. The Bats in Australia website reveals a number of past urban hotspots for microbats. The All Saints Church at Hunters Hill appears to have been a popular roosting site for a number of species including the East Coast Freetail Bat Mormopterus norfolkensis, the Eastern Freetail Bat Mormopterus sp and the Eastern Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens orion. Other areas of human habitation that microbats appear to have frequented were the cellars of Elizabeth Bay House, the North Sydney Railway tunnel and the Balmain Power station.
While some bat species are able to roost in urban areas, it is the native forests and woodlands around the harbour that provide crucial feeding and roosting sites. Most species roost under bark or in tree hollows and the loss of urban bushland would result in their disappearance from the Sydney region. Bat boxes erected in suburban backyards provide supplementary roosting sites for microbats and provide an opportunity to get a closer glimpse of some species.
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