Merlin Tuttle
Encyclopedia
Merlin Devere Tuttle, an American ecologist, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii
in 1941. He co-directed the Venezuelan Research Project of the Smithsonian Institution
from 1965 to 1967, performed research on population ecology
at the University of Minnesota
in 1972, then became curator
of mammals at the Milwaukee Public Museum
from 1975 to 1986.
He made many contributions to studies of predator and prey interaction and foraging
behaviour in mammals, and the energetics of thermo-regulation, hibernation
, and migration in bat
s. He founded Bat Conservation International
(1982) in Austin, Texas
to "promote a positive image of bats and encourage their preservation.
Tuttle's interest in bats came at a young age. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee with his family in 1958 and began exploring nearby Baloney Cave with his high school friends.
In the 1950s, it was believed that gray bats lived in the same caves year-round. Tuttle noticed what seemed to be migratory behavior. He would watch as thousands of gray bats streamed into a cave near the Tennessee River in the fall and again in the spring.
Tuttle convinced his parents to take him to the Smithsonian Institution to discuss his bat observations. The specialists were intrigued and issued him bands through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tuttle was able to band several hundred by October 1960. Two months later, Tuttle recaptured some of the banded bats in a cave one hundred miles north of Knoxville. He had proven that they had migrated northward.
Tuttle completed his undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his PhD in population ecology at the University of Kansas. Over the two decades of his study, he banded 40,182 gray bats at locations in six states. More importantly, he was able to recapture over 20,000 of his bats. His work proved the migration of the gray bat, but also began to show a decline in the population. Tuttle became aware of failing nursery colonies in the 1970s. At one point in his studies, he found a 54 percent population decline in six years. At Tuttle's request, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed gray bats on the endangered species list in 1976, giving them full protection.
Tuttle has been a prominent photographer of bats, and most of the photographs of bats people see in newspaper articles, books, and other sources were taken by him.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
in 1941. He co-directed the Venezuelan Research Project of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
from 1965 to 1967, performed research on population ecology
Population ecology
Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. It is the study of how the population sizes of species living together in groups change over time and space....
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1972, then became curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of mammals at the Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is a natural and human history museum located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc. MPM has three floors of exhibits...
from 1975 to 1986.
He made many contributions to studies of predator and prey interaction and foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
behaviour in mammals, and the energetics of thermo-regulation, hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
, and migration in bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s. He founded Bat Conservation International
Bat Conservation International
Bat Conservation International is an international non-governmental organization working to conserve the world’s bats and their habitats through conservation, education and research efforts....
(1982) in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
to "promote a positive image of bats and encourage their preservation.
Tuttle's interest in bats came at a young age. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee with his family in 1958 and began exploring nearby Baloney Cave with his high school friends.
In the 1950s, it was believed that gray bats lived in the same caves year-round. Tuttle noticed what seemed to be migratory behavior. He would watch as thousands of gray bats streamed into a cave near the Tennessee River in the fall and again in the spring.
Tuttle convinced his parents to take him to the Smithsonian Institution to discuss his bat observations. The specialists were intrigued and issued him bands through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tuttle was able to band several hundred by October 1960. Two months later, Tuttle recaptured some of the banded bats in a cave one hundred miles north of Knoxville. He had proven that they had migrated northward.
Tuttle completed his undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his PhD in population ecology at the University of Kansas. Over the two decades of his study, he banded 40,182 gray bats at locations in six states. More importantly, he was able to recapture over 20,000 of his bats. His work proved the migration of the gray bat, but also began to show a decline in the population. Tuttle became aware of failing nursery colonies in the 1970s. At one point in his studies, he found a 54 percent population decline in six years. At Tuttle's request, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed gray bats on the endangered species list in 1976, giving them full protection.
Tuttle has been a prominent photographer of bats, and most of the photographs of bats people see in newspaper articles, books, and other sources were taken by him.
External links
- The Bat Conservation International Website
- Year of the Bat Website