In 2024, BCI pushed the boundaries of what’s possible for bat protection around the world.

BCI’s endeavors stretch across continents—from the Agave Restoration Initiative in North America to innovative conservation projects in Rwanda and Malaysia—demonstrating an unwavering dedication to protecting bats worldwide.

1. Expanding our work in Brazil and India, which included identifying seven new colonies of the Endangered Brazilian funnel-eared bat (Natalus macrourus).
2. Purchasing Kaboga Cave in Kenya, saving one of the last cave roosts for the Endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae).
3. Discovering the presence of Mexican long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris nivalis) in Arizona through innovative eDNA technology and a citizen science initiative that empowers communities to help monitor nectar-feeding bats through non-invasive methods.
4. Leading two new projects with the Gila and Santa Fe National Forests in New Mexico to help restore landscapes impacted by catastrophic wildfire designed to protect and restore water resources for bats and other wildlife.
5. Protecting key foraging and roosting habitat for the endangered Florida Bonneted Bat in Miami through community advocacy and legal action that reversed plans for commercial development near Zoo Miami.
6. Publishing 14 peer-reviewed papers, providing guidance on:
   • Supporting bat populations that are affected by White Nose Syndrome (WNS) – published by the WNS program.
   • Demonstrating efficacy for bat conservation – published by the Conservation Evidence program.
   • Reducing bat fatalities at wind energy facilities- published by the Bats and Wind program.
   • Building capacity for One Health work.

7. Piloting a successful citizen science acoustic monitoring program through the North American Bat Monitoring program (NABat) hubs to generate bat monitoring data in urban areas while engaging the public in bat research.
8. Launching new fellow-led conservation initiatives through the MENTOR-Bat program focusing on One Health issues in Cameroon, Colombia, and Indonesia in collaboration with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
9. Completing research to test the use of UV light lures to attract insects and hungry bats as a way to support bats before and after hibernation in areas impacted by WNS.
10. Publishing updated, STEM- focused education resources for schools, teachers, and parents, including a unique partnership with Discovery Education and Lego.

From conserving, learning, and spreading knowledge about bats, these accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible without you! Your support helps continue our mission of ending bat extinction worldwide.

Continue to support us so we can do more for bats in 2025:

Adopt a bat

Make a donation

Become a member

The post Big Wins for Bats in 2024 appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

As they have proven themselves to be among the most adaptable of mammals, a number of bat species have evolved to cope with the heat and lack of water in the world’s deserts. These bats have found ways to find shelter and catch prey in these challenging environments. In so doing, they fill ecological niches and sometimes aid humans in the parched parts of the world.

Unsurprisingly, bats congregate around oases or other sources of freshwater in deserts. They also use go into torpor to survive the harsh conditions of deserts. While in this state of lowered metabolism, bats reduce the amount of water they need, and they may use this survival mechanism during times when ponds and washes dry up. Torpor also gives them a way to regulate body temperature during the scorching heat of desert summers.

Desert long-eared bats (Otonycteris hemprichii) live in the arid and semi-arid regions of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and as far east as Pakistan, roosting in rocky crevices or occasionally in buildings. This small member of the microbat family forages close to ground level and uses echolocation to find flying as well as ground-dwelling insects and invertebrates such as crickets, scorpions, beetles, and cockroaches.

By being nocturnal, bats are predisposed to thrive in dry environments with soaring temperatures.

Scorpions can comprise up to 70 percent of this bat’s diet. Once a desert long-eared bat catches a scorpion, and attempts to bite the head off of the venomous arachnid, the scorpion will naturally fight back, often by stinging the bat in the face. The bats appear to feel pain from the stings, but have adapted to this desert diet by evolving immunity to the scorpion venom, even the very venomous Palestine yellow scorpion. The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), a medium-large bat that lives in arid regions of western North America also eats scorpions as part of its diet and has also developed immunity to their stings.

The only bat in the world that hunts exclusively over the ocean, the fish-eating myotis (Myotis vivesi) feeds on fish it catches in the Sea of Cortez. The lands adjacent to this body of water where the bat lives, the Baja Peninsula and western coast of Mexico, are quite arid. Much of this part of the world receives less than an inch of rain annually. As there may be no source of freshwater for months and months, the myotis has developed kidneys that can concentrate urine, enabling it to survive by drinking seawater.

Arid Acclimators

Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) is an example of a bat that can turn an adaptation off and on. It lives in a number of environments throughout southern Europe and North Africa, from the coast of France to Pakistan. When this small bat lives in the deserts of North Africa or other dry places, it changes the fat content of its skin and reduces the amount of water lost from its body surface. A research project found that the desert-dwelling Kuhl’s pipistrelles reduced their total water loss by 20 percent compared to bats of the same size who did not live in deserts.

By being nocturnal, bats are predisposed to thrive in dry environments with soaring temperatures. Cacti of the American Southwest and Mexico have evolved a symbiotic relationship with their nighttime bat pollinators. Organ pipe and saguaro cacti are primarily open at night, attracting pollinators like lesser long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), who use their extra-long tongues to reach deep inside the blooms for their sips of nectar. Besides pollinating these plants, the bats also disperse the cacti’s seeds after consuming their fruit.

People have farmed dates in arid regions of the Middle East since biblical times. It was only recently, however, that researchers found several species of desert bats that feed on date pests, apparently aiding farmers for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, deserts around the world are facing increased challenges due to overgrazing, unsustainable agriculture, and climate change, posing threats to bats and other animals, including humans. Climate change is drying up water sources in deserts and making larger bodies of water smaller. Bats drink on the fly, scooping up a sip as they swoop over a body of water. Fewer and smaller bodies of water in deserts make these drinking dips more difficult, especially for larger bats.

Bat Conservation International supports desert-dwelling bats through conservation and restoration. BCI’s Habitat Protection and Restoration (HP&R) Program works across the American West to restore habitats and water resources for bats and other wildlife. The Agave Restoration Initiative seeks to plant 500,000 agaves and protect and restore 230,000 acres of land, establish 20 greenhouses, and support 50 communities by 2035 throughout Mexico and the American Southwest. The agaves provide nectar for pollinator species, such as the Endangered Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) and the lesser long-nosed bat. Your support of BCI keeps programs like these alive for desert dwelling bats and bats throughout the world.

BCI’s Habitat Protection and Restoration Program works across the American West to restore habitats and water resources for bats and other wildlife.

Learn more information about BCI’s Agave Restoration initiative at: batcon.org/batsandagave and batcon.org/agaverestoration

The post Desert Bats appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

Spicy oranges. Corn tortilla chips. Mint menthols. A touch of bitter almond. What do all these fragrance notes have in common? They can all be used to describe the unique aromas of bats! While bats are known for their keen sense of hearing, having a good sense of smell is also useful for these nocturnal animals for detecting and discriminating food. Smells also play an important role in facilitating social interactions.

Having a sense of smell is an evolutionarily ancient trait – nearly all vertebrates have the ability to sense at least some odors either in the air or in the water. Inside the nose of mammals is a layer called the olfactory epithelium. When odor molecules enter the nose, they bind to special nerve cells called olfactory receptors, which trigger a cascade of electrical signals that travel to the brain. Different odors bind to different olfactory receptors, allowing animals to distinguish between different types of smells – like the difference between a nice ripe fig or a rotten, fermented one.

Smell Evolution

For frugivorous bats hunting for ripe fruit among the leaves or a hungry nectar-feeding bat searching for an open flower after a long night’s journey, a good sense of smell is invaluable. In many cases, bats, their sense of smell, and the plants they feed on have co-evolved. In Central and South America, many of the flowers pollinated by bats have a distinct, musky aroma with an odor profile dominated by a molecule called dimethyl disulfide. Sulfur-containing odors are highly volatile, meaning they evaporate easily and so can be detected from the air. New World nectar feeding bats like the Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina) are innately attracted to this smell. In addition to other floral traits, like bright white colors and shapes easily detected by echolocation, the right smell helps flowers attract their pollinators.

Smell helps bats distinguish ripe fruits among dense leaves and foliage. Bats can’t distinguish many colors so looking for a color change to discriminate ripe from unripe fruit is tricky (and many bat-dispersed plants don’t change color when ripe anyway). Instead, bats are good at using smell for this – even when researchers mashed up ripe and unripe fruits into unrecognizable shapes, bats were able to successfully distinguish between them. Cluttered environments, like the dense branches of a fig tree can also make it more challenging for bats to use echolocation to resolve shapes. Odors may help bats cue in on potential food, especially when other senses are less reliable.

In many cases, bats, their sense of smell, and the plants they feed on have co-evolved.

What is that Smell?

Male greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata) take a DIY approach to perfume blending by mixing urine, saliva, and genital secretions together each day and storing the mixture in small sacs located at their elbows. During courtship, males hover and fan their wings towards females to disperse these scents, which have been described as slightly sweet, with a touch of bitter almond. Each perfume blend is unique to the male producing it, and females use these scents to avoid mating with the wrong species or close relatives. Sac-winged bats aren’t the only ones thought to use scents for mating or territoriality. Male fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus) in Panama curate a smelly orange crust on their forearms (which smells faintly minty), while male yellow-shouldered bats (Genus: Sturnira) have patches of dark orange-red hair on their shoulder that give off a spicy, orange blossom scent.

Smells play an important role in facilitating social interactions.

Free-tailed bats have a reputation for being particularly smelly. Males of several species develop scent glands under their chins during mating, which they use to scent mark roost spots and females. The specific scents from different species vary – mastiff bats (Molossus rufus) have been described as having a “flowery” scent, while Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) smell more like a bag of corn chips. Scent also plays a role in maternal care in free-tailed bats. When trying to locate their pups in dense maternity colonies, Mexican free-tailed bat females rely on a combination of vocal and olfactory cues. By recognizing the smell of their own pups, females can make sure they are feeding their own offspring and not giving away a free meal to a stranger.

Odors may help bats cue in on potential food, especially when other senses are less reliable.

Odor cues may be used by bats to recognize roostmates, which can be useful for species that frequently change roosts. Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and Bechstein’s bats (Myotis bechsteini) have shown preferences for the odors of known roost mates over strangers. Female fishing bats (Noctilio leporinus) form small, stable social groups, and will even forage together. They also produce oily secretions from their subaxillary region (aka their armpits) and will mark each other by rubbing their heads against their roost mate’s armpits. I suppose that’s one way to keep track of your friends!

For when its too dark to see clearly, or when sound can’t help, smell is a sensible sense for bats to respond to the world around them!

The post Smelly Bats and Bats that Smell appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

Starting a new year is a time to reflect on the past and make goals for the future. And if you are like about 50 percent of Americans, one of your New Year’s Resolutions might be related to fitness. Maybe you want to hit the gym regularly this year or maybe start up a running program. If so, you may be able to take inspiration from an unlikely source – bats! While bats are best known as the only mammals capable of flight, at least a couple have adapted to a life on the ground: the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) and the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata).

With hands and forearms that have been highly modified through evolution into wings, and knees that face backwards (compared to humans), how exactly is it that bats can run anyway? Let’s start by examining the kinematic definition of “running.” If an animal’s gait has an aerial phase, where all four limbs are off the ground, then it meets one of the criteria to be considered a “run.” The second criteria has to do with how much time a limb spends in the air over the course of a stride (or duty cycle) – if in the air for more than 50 percent of this cycle, then it is kinematically a run.

While bats are best known as the only mammals capable of flight, at least a couple have adapted to a life on the ground.

To measure the kinematics of bats moving on the ground, scientists trained bats to walk on a special treadmill, recording their movements with video. At low speeds, the vampire bats moved with a “cat-like” prowl, using a lateral sequence gait. This gait is common in quadruped animals; when the left front limb moves forward, the back right limb does the same. While the short-tailed bats did not take to the treadmill as readily as the vampire bats, they also used the same lateral sequence walk. However, as the speed on the treadmill increased, the vampire bats shifted their gait from a prowl to a bouncing gallop. Since this bounding gait has a significant aerial phase where all four limbs leave the ground, it meets at least one of the definitions of a run. However, unlike the bounding gait of other mammals like squirrels and rabbits, vampire bats use a front-wheel drive – they initiate their leaps using their front limbs instead of the back legs.

With hands and forearms that have been highly modified through evolution into wings, and knees that face backwards, how exactly is it that bats can run anyway?

Why would bats be adapted to move efficiently on the ground? The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat evolved on islands without native land predators like cats or snakes. While they didn’t become flightless like some famous island birds, such as the dodo or kiwi, these bats have adapted to take advantage of ground-based resources. In addition to catching insects in the air, as most insect-eating bats do, short-tailed bats spend up to 30 percent of their time scurrying along the forest floor in search of buried insects, fruits, and nectar. With no major predators around, they’ve never needed to run fast or make quick escapes.

Unlike the bounding gait of other mammals like squirrels and rabbits, vampire bats use a “front-wheel drive.”

In contrast, common vampire bats use their cat-like prowl to approach their sleeping prey, which includes large livestock like pigs, cows and horses. When feeding under animals that are up to 16,000 times their size, a quick burst of speed can be crucial for dodging a dangerous stomp. Interestingly, the ability to gallop may be unique to common vampire bats. When placed on a treadmill, the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngii) also moved in a lateral sequence gait, but did not transition to a run at higher speeds. White-winged vampire bats, along with the yet-to-be-tested hairy-legged vampire bats (Diphylla ecaudata), primarily feed on birds, so they likely don’t require the same speed to avoid being crushed during a meal.

If you’re planning out your running goals this year, you might be thinking about how to stay in your “fat-burning” zone or perfecting your carb-loading strategy for that big race. After all, humans, like most mammals, rely on metabolizing carbs and fats to fuel endurance activities. However, recent research on vampire bats and their treadmills uncovered an unusual way for mammals to power their workouts. Scientists monitored vampire bat metabolism for up to 90 minutes as the bats walked on the treadmill and found that at much as 60 percent of the bats’ energy came from amino acids, the building blocks of protein, not carbs or fat. This discovery makes sense considering their protein-rich but nutrient-limited diet and highlights just some of the incredible adaptations vampire bats have to support their blood-feeding lifestyle.

The post Bats that Run appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

If dogs are human’s best friend, cats are a close second. They fill our homes with companionship and cuddles. Yet some of our tabbies, tortoiseshells, and beloved furballs can also create problems for wildlife, including bats.

All domestic cats that spend time outdoors, whether they are free roaming house cats, stray, or feral, pose a threat to wildlife and biodiversity, especially birds and small mammals. In the United States, it has been estimated that free-ranging domestic cats kill up to four billion birds and almost 23 billion mammals every year. In the United Kingdom cats kill an estimated quarter million bats each year

For those of us who are cat lovers, this may be difficult to hear, but conservationists and ecologists consider free-ranging domestic cats and feral cats to be an invasive species. Cats are responsible for the extinction of 33 bird species worldwide and have been a factor in extinctions of species living on islands. Long thought to be practical and safe to control pests, cats actually exacerbate rodent problems instead of control them. Cats aren’t devils. They mean no harm and are only following their instincts, but housecats may be the single greatest source of human influenced mortality of wildlife in the world.

Although there has been anecdotal evidence of the threat cats pose to bats for at least the past 30 years, few studies have examined this threat carefully. The gaps in our knowledge on this topic began to change recently, when researchers in New Caledonia, a small, French territory in the southwest Pacific, noticed bat remains in the scat of feral cats on the small island, including remains of all three large bat species that live in New Caledonia: Pacific flying foxes, New Caledonia flying foxes, and ornate flying foxes. They recorded remains of fruit bats of the island in the scat as well. They had known smaller bats were preyed upon by cats, but the larger bats were a surprise.

Cats are responsible for the extinction of 33 bird species worldwide.

These observations prompted the scientists to review the existing literature on cat-bat predation; they found that 86 bat species throughout the world are preyed upon by cats, and about a fourth of these species are listed as Near Threatened, Threatened by the IUCN. Further, the team discovered that cats prey on all types of bats — insectivores, fruit bats, flying foxes, etc. — throughout all types of habitats the world over. Basically, wherever there are bats and free-roaming cats, bats suffer.

Bats that forage close to the ground are the most susceptible to being caught by a cat. Fruit bats eating fruit that has fallen to the ground are especially vulnerable to being pounced upon by cats. Cities and towns, where the numbers of feral and stray cats are concentrated, present greater danger to bats than forests, grasslands, or other open areas.

Cats prey on all types of bats throughout all types of habitats the world over. Basically, wherever there are bats and free-roaming cats, bats suffer.

Jamaica

In Jamaica, which has 21 species of bats, five endemic to the island, researchers have actually observed cats in their hunt for bats. Cats wait at the entrances of this Caribbean island’s caves, and they snag bats as they fly out for their night’s foraging. Pregnant females and juveniles offer the easiest prey.

Scientists have seen cats hunting at a cave situated in a rural area north-west of Kingston, where an estimated two million bats belonging to ten different species make their homes. This cave is the only roost where the critically Endangered Jamaican greater funnel-eared bats live. Only about 250 individuals of this species are thought to remain. Cats also hunt bats at Jamaica’s Stony Hill Cave, home to three species of bats, including the critically Endangered Jamaican flower bat. In 2022 BCI, working in partnership with the Jamaican Natural Resources Conservation Agency and NEPA, purchased the land around Stony Hill Cave, saving the region from development and the possibility of an increased housecat population. In partnership with the Polly Ground community and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), BCI has been installing predator-exclusion fencing around the cave entrances that will help keep cats away from the cave entrances and provide the bats living in the cave a little more safety from predators as they emerge. (Learn more about BCI’s Endangered Species Intervention work in Jamaica here.)

Saving Bats from Cats

Cats and bats don’t mix. Period. If you have a purring family member, you can do your part to help keep bats and other wildlife safe by keeping your cat indoors. Because cat attacks are one of the most common causes of bat (and bird) casualties, keeping cats indoors – or at the very least, at night, especially during summer months when bat mothers are feeding their young – can help protect your local bat population. If your cat finds a bat, it may learn where the roost is located, which places an entire colony at risk. If your community has a feral cat coalition you could join or otherwise support their work. By helping to control feral cat populations you can make your community and the rest of the world a safer place for bats.

Learn more about BCI’s Endangered Species Campaign at: batcon.org/nightwatch.

The post Why Cats and Bats Don’t Mix appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

Dotting the coastal landscape of Kenya and Tanzania are ancient limestone caves. Formed from the shells and exoskeletons of ancient corals and sea creatures, these caves are the last refuges for the endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae). Endemic to this region, these bats are found only in a geographic area of around 700 square miles ̶ that’s smaller than the entire state of Rhode Island! The actual area of suitable habitat used by the bat is much smaller and they are currently only found roosting in a handful of these coastal caves. The forest habitat used by these bats is increasingly fragmented, due to encroaching development, deforestation, and other types of disturbance.

Bats make up 27 percent of Africa’s mammal species and play important roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and pest control throughout the continent.

When most people think of African mammals, they likely imagine the majestic lion or towering giraffes ̶ not the humble bat. Bats make up 27 percent of Africa’s mammal species and play important roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and pest control throughout the continent. Like Hildegarde’s tomb bat, many of Africa’s bat species rely on caves for shelter and reproduction. Negative attitudes towards bats in these regions can also lead to persecution and destruction of roosts. African bat conservationists, such as Dr. Paul Webala, a professor at Masaai Mara University, have long championed the protection of Kenyan bat caves. Rapid development, especially in coastal areas, is also placing these important caves at risk. These threats also caught the attention of Dr. Isabella Mandl, BCI’s Regional Director for Africa and Asia, who began networking with Dr. Webala and local community members on how to best protect these coastal roosts.

In line with these efforts, BCI recently moved forward with purchasing a plot of land in the area of Watamu, about 105 km north of Mombasa, and the site of Kaboga Cave. This cave is one of the few remaining caves where Hildegarde’s tomb bat can be found. Ownership of the land has since been transferred to Kenyan partner organization Angaza Vijiji, with whom BCI is creating a management plan. Integral to this work is Dr. David Wechuli, a Kenyan bat scientist (and BCI scholar) who was recently hired as BCI’s Kenya Program Manager and has extensive experience working in these communities. As Dr. Mandl describes, “This is very much not a research project, but a multifaceted effort focusing on cave roost protection through outreach and applied skill-building within the communities.”.

South of the Kaboga Cave site, nestled in the far southeast corner of the country is the village of Fikirini and the Three Sisters Cave. With four distinct chambers within the cave complex, three of which are occupied by bats, this site is another important roost site for the Hildagarde’s tomb bat. These caves also hold important cultural significance, with local community members using one of the caves for traditional ceremonies. The Three Sisters Caves also was an important refuge during the slave trade in the mid to late 1800s.

Kenyan coastal caves are not just home to the Hildegarde’s tomb bat, but several other unique and important African bats, including Egyptian fruit-eating bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), near-threatened bats like the striped leaf-nosed bat (Macronycteris vittatus) and Decken’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus deckenii), and the data-deficient Least long-fingered bat (Miniopterus minor), among others. The periodic shafts of light, long, hallway-like passages and sheer number of bats make for a stunning spectacle come dusk, a moment captured in exquisite detail by Chris Gallaway, the filmmaker behind BCI’s new cave conservation series “Night Watch.”

The BCI team is working with the Fikirini community to develop sustainable management practices that will preserve this culturally and ecologically important site. This includes close collaboration with Angaza Vijiji, a Kenyan organization that specializes in green enterprise development to help the community develop skills needed to manage the cave and gain income from their efforts. Dr. Paul Webala is also involved as an advisor, with students and early-career bat researchers in Kenya collecting ecological and monitoring data on the bats, and whose results help shape on-the-ground management decisions.

The story of the tomb bat is one of resilience ̶ despite encroaching disturbance, the bats have continued to hang on in these caves.

In some ways, the story of the tomb bat is one of resilience ̶ despite encroaching disturbance, the bats have continued to hang on in these caves. It also highlights the importance of taking action now, before it’s too late. When asked what she hopes will be the future of these efforts and BCI’s work in Kenya, Dr. Mandl expresses hope and optimism. “This is about giving the communities we work with the tools to sustain the conservation of bats on their own and to enable them to protect their land from development and exploitation,” she says. “Community is the heart of this project. Our work is informed by research results but it very much depends on a holistic approach to conservation to succeed.”

Learn more about BCI’s Endangered Species Work and watch the film series at: batcon.org/nightwatch

The post Resilient Roosts: Community is the Heart of Bat Conservation in Coastal Kenya  appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

We all know that bats are the best. But what of the most outstanding of the best? Let’s take a look at the bats who are the biggest, smallest, loudest, and other bats who hold “world records” in the bat world.

Smallest

The bumblebee bat (also known as the Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat) is only about one and one third inches when measured from head to rump, making it not only the smallest bat but the smallest mammal in the world! If one were to land on you, you may not notice, as these brownish red to grey bats with big ears weigh less than 2 grams (about as much as a small coin).

Bumblebee bats are found only among limestone caves close to rivers in forested areas of the Myanmar-Thailand border. At dawn, they leave their roosts to breakfast on flies and small insects for about 18 minutes. They then return to the skies at dusk for a half hour of feeding. They otherwise roost, sleeping or in torpor. Tourism, fertilizer collection, and limestone mining pose the largest threat to the two small areas of habitat of this species.

Largest

The largest bats in the world are the giant golden-crowned flying foxes of the Philippines. They can weigh about three pounds with wingspans that can stretch more than five feet across from wingtip to wingtip. For perspective, that is about as tall as actress Salma Hayek (sans heels).

These flying foxes put those large wings to good use, flying an average of 25 miles per night. And when they aren’t flying, they use their wings as sleeping bags, wrapping their dark brown appendages around them as they roost, rest, and sleep.

Named for the golden fur that adorn their heads, flying foxes live in lowland forests of several Philippine islands. They use their acute sight and smell to find figs and other fruits to eat. This species serves an important ecological function by spreading fig seeds in its droppings.

Fastest Flyers

In July of 2009, the Guinness Book of World Records, Boston University, Brown University, and other institutions recorded Brazilian free-tailed bats flying at 99.5 miles per hour, which makes this species the fastest bat in the world.

Measuring flight speed is tricky. It’s not as though scientists can set up a marathon among flying creatures with a start and finish line. To clock the bats, scientists performed some tricky piloting of an airplane and tagged the bats with radio transmitters. They explain that the free-tailed bats achieve their great speed because they have aerodynamic bodies and longer wings than most other bats species.

Greater bulldog bats are the heavy metal screamers of the animal kingdom, making ultra-high frequency calls as loud as 140 decibels.

Loudest

The greater bulldog bat hunts for fish in rivers and ponds of South America using echolocation calls that are not particularly loud. But when they want to grab the attention or otherwise communicate with another bulldog bat, they are the heavy metal screamers of the animal kingdom, making ultra-high frequency calls as loud as 140 decibels. These bats and their ears are adapted to this high level of sound, which is as loud as a report from a gun or the din on an aircraft carrier and can cause permanent damage to human ears.

Longest Migration

Unobserved until recently, the straw-colored fruit bat is now known to travel over 1,500 miles across Africa in its seasonal migration. During the rainy season, from October through December, eight million of these large, yellowish bats converge on an evergreen swamp forest in Zambia’s Kasanka National Park to feast on figs, mahogany, and other fruit.

This distinguishes the straw-colored fruit bat as having not only the longest bat migration, but also having the largest migration of any mammal, more than impalas and even elephants! The numbers of these bats can be so great they can fill the night sky. As seed spreaders, this bat is a keystone species for central African ecology, although hunting and deforestation pose threats to these long-distance travelers. 

In summertime, more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home in Bracken Cave – the largest colony of bats in the world.

Largest Bat Colony

In summertime, more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home in Bracken Cave just outside of San Antonio, Texas. This is the largest colony of bats in the world. The multitude of bats flying out of the cave each night is so great that they have been compared to the sight of a tornado.

During these summer months, as females give birth and raise their young, this colony also plays a major role for local agriculture. On any given night, these bats consume over 100 tons of corn earworm moths and other crop pests.

In 1992, BCI purchased Bracken Cave and 4.7 acres of surrounding land. Continually expanding upon this initial acquisition and together with the Nature Conservancy, BCI now conserves 3,462 contiguous acres of distinctive and rugged Texas Hill Country around Bracken Cave. Besides conservation efforts for bats, such as monitoring for white-nose syndrome, BCI also sponsors surveys of other wildlife on the preserve, including the black-crested titmouse and the Threatened golden-cheeked warbler. And with the new year upon us, BCI will continue its conservation work at Bracken Cave and throughout the world, wherever bats are found.

The post Superlative Bats  appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

A lot of bat species are insectivores. Other species eat fruit, while others visit flowers for nectar. And vampire bats have developed a taste for blood. Little known, however, are two species that specialize in fishing. The fish-eating myotis (Myotis vivesi) and the greater bulldog bat (Noctilio leporinus) have evolved flight and even feet that enable them to subsist mostly on fish.

Both bats use large, long wings to glide and swoop, hawklike, over bodies of water to catch their prey. Although their flight lacks the maneuverability of other bats, their large wings give the bats enough lift to catch and carry their heavy prey. Some fishing bats can catch and consume as much as 30 fish in a night.

Besides the large wings, both of these bat species have really large, Sasquatch-like feet. Fish-eating myotis have feet that comprise almost 15 percent of their total body length. If a male human, standing 5’ 10”, had similarly proportioned feet, he would wear a size 14 shoe! Both species have claws extending from their large feet (see photos).

Flying low and slow, fish-eating myotis bats comb the upper reaches of a body of water with their large feet to catch prey.

Fish-eating myotis live among islands and the rocky coasts on the Sea of Cortez, the body of water between mainland Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. Habitat also includes the western Pacific shores of Baja. These bats roost in caves and rock crevices, and also along the shoreline under flat stones and turtle shells. They sometimes share their roosts with two species of petrals, common shorebirds of Baja. On many of the islands, the western whiptail is a predator of the birds’ eggs and chicks. The bats are much more aggressive at warding off these lizards, flapping their wings and biting the whiptails when they get close to the bats’ roosts. This may be an example of a bird species evolving a roosting strategy that allows them to benefit from the bats’ behavior.

Flying low and slow, the myotis bats comb the upper reaches of a body of water with their large feet to catch prey. Sometimes it appears that they drag their feet behind them through the water. Their toes and large claws are compressed to minimize drag as they skim. Though they feed mostly on fish and crustaceans, they also eat algae and insects. Interestingly, the color of their guano changes according to what they eat.

Fish-eating myotis can fly great distances in a night both on and off the shore of Baja. Much of the peninsula is quite arid, with few sources of fresh water. The bat is adapted to these conditions. With kidneys that concentrate urine, the bat is able to drink seawater, one of the very few land mammals that is able to do so.

If they sense that there are many fish in a section of water, greater bulldog bats will rake across the water in swaths that can reach 30 feet in length.

The greater bulldog bat inhabits a much larger area than the myotis, ranging from Mexico through Central and South America to northern Argentina. They also live throughout the islands of the Caribbean, including Cuba, Granada, and Jamaica. Often roosting in the hollows of trees, these bats live in colonies that sometimes number into the hundreds. Colonies may be made up of mixed or single sex groups, and this may vary seasonally. They favor living in in river basins, coastal areas, and lowlands that receive plentiful rainfall. At dusk and into the night, greater bulldog bats can be spotted flying over streams, ponds, estuaries, and coastal lagoons.

When they forage, greater bulldog bats can use multiple strategies. They may fly high, in a circular motion up to 50 cm above the surface, using echolocation to detect fish by the ripples they make, or they may fly very low, up to 10 cm above the surface. They may drag their feet randomly, or in a directed way. If the bats detect fish, they decrease the pulse duration and intervals of their echolocation calls before they strike. If they sense that there are many fish in a section of a pond, lake or other body of water, these bats will rake across the water in swaths that can reach 30 feet in length. As they fly, the bats face their feet forward and instantly grab any fish they contact. Foraging behaviors and diet can vary seasonally, and they are also known to eat insects, shrimp, crabs, and scorpions.

Bat conservation research and conservation efforts can support both of these fish-eating bats. The greater bulldog bat was assessed in the State of the Bats of North America, which identified threats to this species stemming from agricultural and forestry effluents, tourism and recreation activities, and droughts. There is even greater concern for the fish-eating myotis, as it has a restricted range and a declining population. These bats face multiple threats, including habitat loss and climate change as well as serious damage from introduced predators, such as rats and domestic cats. By spreading awareness about the incredible adaptations of fishing bats, you can help amplify support for bat conservation that leads to successful outcomes for these species.

The post Fishing Bats  appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

250,000. That’s the estimated number of insects the bats of Nakanacagi Cave on Vanua Levu, Fiji consume in a single night. Tucked in amongst the crevices of this volcanic sandstone cave are roughly 2,000 to 7,000 Fijian free tailed bats (Mops bregullae). This cave is home to almost all of the Fijian free-tailed bats on the planet and is the only known maternity cave for this endangered bat. That means what happens in this cave, for good or bad, has the power to decide the future of these incredible animals.

Fijian free-tailed bats are one of only two species of insect-eating bat to live in Fiji (the other being the Pacific sheath-tailed bat, Emballonura semicaudata). With cute, dark eyes and wrinkled, flappy lips, they look a little like bulldogs, at least according to Siteri Tikoca. A PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide in Australia, a BCI Student Scholar and iTaukei (indigenous Fijian), Tikoca is the one who did the math on the free pest-control services provided by the caves’ bats. She hopes that having these kinds of numbers that can be used in discussions about the bats will help people see the connections between the bat and their own lives.

“We can only encourage local pride, ownership, and stewardship once we fully understand what surrounds us, the link to our identity and Vanua, and how we can live in harmony.”

Fortunately for the bats, the future of Nakanacagi Cave is in good hands. In 2019, BCI and the Rainforest Trust provided the funding for the National Trust of Fiji to purchase about 21 acres of land surrounding the cave, creating the opportunity to establish Fiji’s first Bat Sanctuary. This purchase was a critical first step in protecting the cave and surrounding tropical dry forests. Next was developing a management plan for the cave and the surrounding area, a process that was driven largely by the community via workshops, facilitated by the National Trust of Fiji, Nature Fiji MareqetiViti, BCI and other partners. The Nakanacagi Bat Sanctuary hit another major milestone this year when the completed management plan became part of the government record of Fiji. For Tikoca, this community-driven work is important, as is further understanding the natural history of these incredible bats. “We can only encourage local pride, ownership, and stewardship once we fully understand what surrounds us, the link to our identity and Vanua, and how we can live in harmony.” she says.

As part of the series to highlight endangered bats and the people working to protect them, Chris Gallaway of Horizonline Pictures visited the bat cave and village in July of this year with the team from BCI and local collaborators. While the bats may steal the show with their stunning acrobatics as they leave the cave, these films are also the story of conservationists at work. For Gallaway, coming in with a camera provides an opportunity to create space for those involved to reflect on the work and the emotional core of what they are doing and why. And then some moments are a surprise, even with a carefully planned ‘shot list.’ In talking about his experience, Gallaway recounted preparing for one of the filming nights. They were waiting with other villagers for the chief to arrive so they could request permission to visit the cave. “As we were waiting, the children started doing call and response chants and singing, creating these unplanned moments of spontaneity and joy,” says Gallaway. “It is these moments that truly help put the work in perspective, seeing these communities come together in support of bats and emerging as conservationists in their ways.”

Conservation is not and cannot be only about protecting animals, but also about supporting communities.

This emphasizes that conservation is not and cannot be only about protecting animals, but also about supporting communities. Places like Nakanacagi Cave are increasingly at risk from threats like climate change, particularly large tropical storms. In December 2020, tropical cyclone Yasa hit Nakanacagi Village hard, followed in 2021 by tropical storm Ana, with winds and flooding damaging farms and homes. In response, BCI redirected funds towards emergency supplies for the village immediately following the storm and are also contributing to rebuilding efforts within the community. These types of holistic efforts are increasingly important ̶ rising ocean temperatures due to climate change are predicted to result in stronger and more intense storms that could pose a threat to these islands. As Tikoca reminds us, “Conservation doesn’t work without people. The earlier we get them involved and encouraged to lead local stewardship, the better the chances we have of seeing success.”

When asked about what motivates her to be involved in bat conservation, Tikoca reflects on her own connections to the land and the threats she sees her communities facing. “I want to be part of the solution”, she says, “It starts with us. It must start with us.” In partnering with the Nakanacagi community, the goal is a sustainable and resilient future for both the Fijian free-tailed bats and their true custodians ̶ the people of Fiji.

Learn more about BCI’s Endangered Species Work and watch the film series at:  batcon.org/nightwatch

The post Free-tailed Harmony: Connecting Bats, Land, and Community in Fiji  appeared first on Bat Conservation International.

Hiking uphill in sticky, humid weather before descending into an even hotter and stickier cave, all while hauling heavy camera equipment, certainly sets the scene for an adventurer seeking a challenge. However, if you are filmmaker Chris Gallaway, it’s not just the bugs, the mud, and the humidity you are worried about ̶ it’s also protecting your equipment from the rain of bat poop from the roughly two million bats who call that cave home.

Gallaway is an independent filmmaker and founder/director of Horizonline Pictures. Based out of Black Mountain, North Carolina, he is drawn to stories of creativity, culture, conservation, and outdoor adventure ̶ and takes a quiet, patient approach to filmmaking. In 2023, he worked with BCI to produce a film series about Bats and Agave.

Over the past year, Gallaway and his crew have been following BCI’s team of scientists as they work to protect and conserve the world’s most threatened bats. First stop was St. Clair Cave, nestled in the heart of Jamaica.

Jamaica is home to 21 species of bats, 5 of which are endemic (found only in Jamaica). St. Clair Cave alone shelters at least 10 bat species, including mustached bats, ghost-faced bats, leaf-faced bats, and the critically endangered Jamaica greater funnel-eared bat (Natalus jamaicensis). This cave is the only known location for the Jamaican greater-funnel eared bat, with records only coming from genetics and museum specimens. Unfortunately, with less than 100 estimated individuals left, finding one in the cave is like finding a needle in a haystack (or more like finding one bat in an emergence of millions of bats). “That reality was a bit of a wake-up call,” says Gallaway, underscoring the urgency of protecting these fragile cave systems to ensure the survival of these threatened species.

One of the biggest threats to the bats at St. Clair Cave (and other caves in Jamaica) are feral cats. Feral cats don’t only pose a risk to Jamaican bats, but to bats worldwide. Globally, at least 86 species of bats have been reported killed by cats, though these observations are thought to be underreported. Of these species, a disproportionate number of them are found on islands (like Jamaica) and at least a quarter of them are considered Threatened or Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. In partnership with the Polly Ground community and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), BCI has been installing predator-exclusion fencing around the cave entrances that will help keep cats out and provide the bats living in the cave a little more safety from predators. 

St. Clair Cave is classified as a “hot cave,” meaning it reaches extreme temperatures and humidity levels, often over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Naturalists in the 1950s described Inferno Passage — one of its main chambers — as “a Stygian sauna bath…filled with a rain of bat urine and excrement.” The cave was once a primary breeding site for the Jamaican Flower Bat (Phyllonycteris aphylla) but, in the 1990s, the species mysteriously vanished from its known roosting sites (including St. Clair Cave), leading researchers to believe it extinct.

The Jamaican National Environment and Planning Agency rediscovered the species in 2010 in a new location: Stony Hill Cave. Recognizing the risks to Stony Hill Cave from developers, Jamaican authorities reached out to BCI about the urgency to protect this important bat roost. Stony Hill Cave is smaller and less complex than St Clair Cave, consisting of one Y-shaped chamber where the bats can be found roosting. This relatively simple topography means even small changes in airflow could alter the temperatures and make the cave less hospitable to the heat-loving flower bats. In collaboration with the Jamaican Natural Resources Conservation Agency and NEPA, BCI successively purchased the land around the cave in 2022, helping to safeguard this critical habitat and secure the future of the Jamaican flower bats that call it home. 

Communities like Polly Ground have truly embraced the task of conserving their local bats, becoming conservationists in their own ways. This spirit of collaboration is at the heart of BCI’s mission.

While filming at Stony Hill Cave, Gallaway said he was completely charmed by the Jamaican flower bat. To get some of those stunning, close-up shots of the bat, one of the individuals captured by the scientists was placed into a flight box for filming. Laughing a bit, Gallaway reflects on how he at first thought the bat would be really docile, before remembering that they are nectar-feeders who basically live on sugar water and are actually quite hyper-active. Luckily with the magic of slow-motion capture, they were still able to capture close-ups of this beautiful and rare bat, a privilege Gallaway is grateful to have experienced.

When asked about his experience, Gallaway gives most of the credit to the BCI team and the Jamaican communities who are making these conservation projects possible. Communities like Polly Ground have truly embraced the task of conserving their local bats, becoming conservationists in their own ways. This spirit of collaboration is at the heart of BCI’s mission: building lasting connections that strengthen conservation through shared goals and understanding.

The post Collaborative Spirit: Protecting Bats in Jamaica  appeared first on Bat Conservation International.