Written by Palmetto Bluff
Mar 15, 2021
Bats are mysterious creatures of the night. Flying silently above our heads, they swoop and dive, snatching insects and eating them mid-air. Bats, misunderstood and unfairly feared, have an extraordinary ability to navigate through the dark. They silently scream echolocation calls into the night in a range above what we can hear. They are the only mammals that took to the skies, using a vertical, aerial landscape inaccessible to most nocturnal vertebrates. Their silent, nocturnal lifestyle makes us blind to their presence – they are all around us and we hardly notice them.
I have been studying bats for about a decade and I have been asked all sorts of questions over the years. Some of the most common queries I have encountered include:
These frequently asked questions have made me realize that most of us are not well versed in the lives of bats. Unfortunately, what we usually hear about bats (if we hear anything at all) are negative stereotypes that promote fearmongering. Throughout this monthly series, we will learn what these mysterious creatures are really like. I will tell you all about bats, why they are important, and what we can do to protect them. Bats are a major focus of our research at Palmetto Bluff, and some of our monthly posts will be descriptions of our research projects or updates on what we captured during our last netting session. Some of these captures are not bats, so stay tuned for surprise guests!
I’m looking forward to embarking on this journey with you. Please email me at lmoore@pbconservancy.org
with any bat-related questions you have. I may even focus a future post on your question.
Up next month: busting myths about bats.
