Oh...BATS!!!

Aidan watching the bats emerge

Bat Scouts

At the mouth of the cave.

On Saturday we had the special treat of visiting the largest bat colony in Texas with our friends: Todd, Laura, Chase, and Colton Thetford. Bracken Cave is home to 20 MILLION bats, and at sunset, they all fly out in a huge whirlwind to eat their weight in insects! Imagine how many more bugs there would be if these bats weren't there! The kids all loved watching the huge clouds of bats circle into the sky.

Here are some things we learned:

~Bats are our friends and need to be protected and respected.

~Bats are essential for keeping down flying insects, and protecting crops worldwide.

~Bats are mammals and 50% of the species in America are endangered or declining.

~Bats are not blind, do NOT attack humans, and seldom transmit diseases to other animals or humans. Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of bats contract rabies.

~Loss of bats increases the demand for chemical pesticides that can jeopardize whole ecosytems.

~Never touch a grounded bat.

We had a fun time and learned a lot about these amazing animals. Thank you, Thetfords, for inviting us!

~Aaron, Brooke, & Aidan

* To learn more about bat conservation, please visit: www.batcon.org.