It's official! 2011 has been declared The Year of The Bat by the United Nations Environment Programme. The idea of the campaign is to promote conservation, research and education on the world's only flying mammals. There are 1100 bat species in the world- around half of which are currently at risk. "Compared to animals like tigers and elephants, bats receive little positive attention," says Andreas Streit, Executive Secretary of EUROBATS, a European bat conservation group. "But they are fascinating mammals and play an indispensable role in maintaining our environment." Bats provide many ecological benefits, such as pest control and seed dispersal.
So in light of the New Year, may I present to you the one and a half million bats that live under the Congress Bridge in Austin, Texas. Video from a "Bat Tour" boat that goes under the bridge answers all your batty questions, and shows the flight of over a million bats at twilight (and no, they are not the sparkly vampires from 'Twilight' the movie.)
Amazing! I love bats. Growing up in Oregon we always had small brown bats living in our shed. During the day we were able to get close enough to get a good look at them. They are such cute little guys and so fascinating. Thank you for posting about these wonderful creatures!
Amazing! I love bats. Growing up in Oregon we always had small brown bats living in our shed. During the day we were able to get close enough to get a good look at them. They are such cute little guys and so fascinating. Thank you for posting about these wonderful creatures!
ReplyDeleteKara, how lucky you were!
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