Bats are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies worldwide. As primary predators of night-flying insects, bats consume enormous quantities of agricultural pests and reduce the need for chemical pesticides.

Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Bats are threatened worldwide, and their colonies and habitats are destroyed - both intentionally and inadvertently - because of myths, misinformation, and lack of scientific knowledge and understanding. Bat populations are declining almost everywhere in North America especially due to the devastating White-nose Syndrome. Losing bats has far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems and human economies. Knowledge is the key to their conservation and protection.

BatsLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure is an exciting, free education program for children in the 4-8th grades and their educators, that will bring bat conservation to life in your classroom or community.

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Spotted Bat
Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International

What's New

Bat Conservation International reports that the newly released federal budget for 2012 contains good news for bats. Congress is directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to spend $4 million for the fight against White-nose Syndrome, the rapidly spreading disease that has killed millions of bats across eastern North America since 2006. More »

Rolf Müller, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, found that certain bats, such as the horseshoe bat, alter the shape of their entire outer ears in the space of milliseconds, to better “hear” the sound waves bouncing off objects and prey. More »

Text 242-242 or visit ChaCha at http://www.chacha.com/ for answers to your questions about bats! More »

Watch Bats! produced by Georgia Outdoors and Georgia Public Broadcasting, which puts viewers face to face with bats, and their incredible wing structure. They are the only mammal that can fly, but we also explore a mysterious disease that's taking them down by the thousands. More »

 

 

Partner News

The Annual Member Event Celebrating Year of the Bat will be held on Feb. 18 at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  The Eleventh Annual Great Lakes Bat Festival will be held Sept. 29 at the Southfield Civic Center Arena, Southfield, Michigan.  For more details, please see the events page. More »

2012 is being observed as the Year of the Bat. Education regarding the essential roles of bats in maintaining healthy ecosystems and human economies has never been more important. Bats are found nearly everywhere and approximately 1,200 species account for almost a quarter of all mammals. Nevertheless, in recent decades their populations have declined alarmingly. Many are now endangered, though they provide invaluable services that we cannot afford to lose. More »

Check out the new video on YouTube posted by the Lubee Bat Conservancy. More »

Check out the Welcome to the Underground curriculum from the Bureau of Land Management. How do bat mothers find their pups in dark caves? More »

For an outstanding study unit about bats for elementary students, check out the Shadows of the Night lesson plans from Ford Elementary School in Cobb County, GA.  Students research how bats impact our environment, why they think it’s important to learn about bats, and more. More »