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Don't Let Bat Myths Scare You This Halloween: Timid Creatures of the Night Are Vital To Crops and Pest Control

Next Time You Eat a Fig or Drink a Margarita, Make Sure To Thank a Bat!

Nashville, TN — 17 October 2003 — One of the scariest images of Halloween is the blood-sucking bat – biting the necks of terrified maidens and magically transforming into evil monsters.

But in reality, bats are essential to man's well-being, playing a critical role in the global environment.

Bats are actually gentle and timid creatures whose populations are dropping dramatically because of man-made threats to their habitat. More than half of all bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered.

Of the 1,100 bat species around the world, 240 are listed as endangered or vulnerable, largely due to man-made threats to their habitat. Bats live in every U.S. state, and The Nature Conservancy is working to protect the critical habitat of bats across the country and around the world.

"People should not perpetuate the myth that bats are dangerous," said Steve Walker, bat conservation expert and director of resources for The Nature Conservancy’s Mexico program. "The truth is they’re our allies, providing essential ecological services for humans."

Without bats, many important food crops would be threatened, and mankind would face severe insect infestation.

Some 70 percent of all bat species eat insects, with even small bats capable of eating up to 1,200 mosquitoes and other insects each night. With West Nile Virus cases expected to exceed last year’s numbers, bats should be particularly welcome in communities across the country.

Bats also are critical for seed dispersal and cross-pollination for many plant species. Bananas, mangoes, cashews, figs and agaves – used to produce tequila -- all rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal.

"Conservation efforts to protect bat habitat are not only good for bats, they’re good for humans," said Walker.

In order to successfully protect bats, a variety of conservation approaches must be used across a wide range of landscapes. Migrating bats are dependent on different roosting sites across the country and around the world during the changing seasons. Bats also rely on different caves for maternity and hibernation, and still others for "bachelor colonies" during the maternity season.

Cave science and bat conservation are relatively new concepts, and bats are among the least studied species in the world. But in the late 1990s, The Nature Conservancy formed a Subterranean Biodiversity Workgroup which has grown to encompass over 50 Conservancy programs worldwide and several hundred staff and partners.

In northern Mexico, The Nature Conservancy is working with scientists to preserve bat habitat in the massive Cueva de la Boca ("Mouth Cave"), which has an opening 100 feet wide and 100 feet tall.

When the Conservancy’s Mexican partner – Pronatura Noreste -- first began working with Cueva de la Boca eight years ago, vandalism and other human activities had caused the bat population there to dwindle to a low of 100,000. Today, because of conservation and education programs, the cave’s bat population has rebounded to 3 million.

In Arizona, the San Pedro River valley is home to 24 species of bats, more than half of the total bat species found in all of Canada and the United States. Many of those bats feed on flower nectar and are crucial for pollinating plants like saguaro cacti and agaves.

Tequila is produced from agave plants, whose flowers open at night and attract bats with their nectar. As the bats feed from the flowers, their fur gets coated with pollen, which is then spread to other plants as they search for more food.

The bats and the agave plants have become so dependent upon each other, scientists believe neither species could survive in the wild without the other. In fact, the seed production of agave plants drops to one-three thousandth of normal when bats are not around to cross pollinate them.

So the next time you drink a margarita or a tequila sunrise, thank a bat!

While some bats live in trees, under bridges and even in spider webs, caves serve as the home to many species of bats.

In Tennessee – home to 9,000 caves, more than any other state in the country – The Nature Conservancy is working to prevent human destruction of threatened "bat caves."

In Hubbard’s Cave in Tennessee, scientists discovered several years ago that the population of endangered Gray Bats that hibernated in the cave during the winter months was on a steady decline. The Conservancy erected a massive metal gate – one of the largest in the world – across the entrance of the cave to allow bats to come in and out, but prevent humans from vandalizing and damaging the delicate interior of the cave. (At the nearby Wolf River Cave, vandals several years ago entered the cave, spray painted the walls and killed numerous bats).

In the three years since the gate was erected, the population of hibernating Gray Bats in Hubbard’s Cave has rebounded more than 800 percent, and now stands at about 170,000.

Gray Bats are an endangered species in the United States. About 95% of these bats hibernate in only 8 caves across the country making them extremely vulnerable to extinction.

"Cave ecosystems face a variety of threats, including human disturbance and pollution from surface activities such as sedimentation and runoff from mining, forestry and development," said Heather Garland, caves project manager for the Conservancy’s Tennessee office. "The conservation of caves is essential to protect bats and so many other creatures that depend on these critical underground landscapes."

In North Carolina, the Nature Conservancy manages the Bat Cave Preserve, home to the largest known granite fissure cave in North America. The main chamber is a dark cathedral more than 300 feet long and approximately 85 feet high.

One of the Conservancy’s goals in managing the preserve is to reestablish the critically endangered Indiana Bat to its former habitat. The cave is closed to visitation at all times and the preserve is closed from October to mid-April in an effort to allow the bats to hibernate undisturbed. Several different species of bats hibernate in the cave every winter. If bats are disturbed during hibernation, they fly around and quickly use up the stored energy that they need to survive the cold winter months.

One of the largest bat colonies in the country is in Mason, Texas, at the Eckert James River Bat Cave managed by The Nature Conservancy. Each October, just before Halloween, 4 to 6 million Mexican Free-Tailed Bats that live in the cave fly down to Mexico where they stay until the following spring.

Some bat species migrate up to 1,500 miles, flying more than 100 miles in a single day.

Many Nature Conservancy offices across the country host lectures and field trips to educate people about the essential role bats play in the environment. Call your local Conservancy office to find out more information about the bats in your area.

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