American Bats

The National Wildlife Federation™ and Bat Conservation International are working with the

U.S. Postal Service to promote the American Bats Stamps as a tool to educate and inspire Americans

about the beauty of our nation's wildlife and urgentneed to conserve it.

You can purchase stamps by calling 1-800-STAMP24 or online at www.usps.com

Night Friends- American BatsAmerican Bats

On-line Activity Guide

BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION BATS

AMERICAN BATS: ONLINE ACTIVITY GUIDE | 1

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Background

Origins and RelativesDid you know that the world’s smallest mammal, the bumblebee bat,weighs less than a penny?

Bats play a vital role in the health of our natural world, and arefascinating creatures. They are a group of mammals that belong tothe group, “Chiroptera,” which means hand-wing. All living batspecies fit into one of two sub-groups, the Microchiroptera or theMegachiroptera. Members of the latter group are often called“flying foxes” because of their fox-like faces. They are found onlyin the Old World tropics, while the Microchiroptera, which arehighly varied in appearance, occur worldwide.

Diversity and DistributionThe more than 1,000 species of bats make up approximately 25percent of all mammal species, more than any other mammalgroup except rodents, and they are found everywhere in the world

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except in the most extremedesert and polar regions. Some40 species live in the UnitedStates and Canada, but themajority inhabit tropical forestswhere, in total number ofspecies, they sometimesoutnumber all other mammalscombined.

Bats come in an amazingvariety of sizes and appear-ances. While the bumblebeebat is at one extreme, someflying foxes of the Old Worldtropics have wingspans of up tosix feet. The big-eyed, winsomeexpressions of flying foxes oftensurprise people who wouldnever have thought that a batcould be cute. Some bats havelong angora-like fur, ranging incolor from bright red-brown oryellow to jet black or white.One species is furless, andanother even has pink wingsand ears. A few are so brightlypatterned that they are knownas butterfly bats. Others haveenormous ears, nose leaves, and

intricate facial features thatbecome more fascinating whentheir sophisticated role in navi-gation is explored.

Navigation and MigrationLike dolphins, most batscommunicate and navigatewith high-frequency sounds,which they bounce off ofobjects to determine where andhow far away they are. Usingsound alone, bats can “see”everything but color, and in

total darkness they can detectobstacles as fine as a humanhair. The sophistication ofthese unique echolocationsystems surpasses current scien-tific understanding and hasbeen estimated to be billions oftimes more efficient than anysimilar system developed byhumans. In addition, bats arenot blind and many have excel-lent vision.

In temperate regions, coldwinters and the subsequentlack of insect prey force bats tomigrate or hibernate. Mosttravel fewer than 300 miles tofind a suitable cave or aban-doned mine, where they

remain for up to six monthsor more, surviving solely on

stored fat reserves. However,

A bat emits a high-frequency sound,which hits an object and bouncesback to the bat, telling it how faraway the object (prey) is.



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several species are long-distancemigrators, traveling from as farnorth as Canada to the Gulfstates or Mexico for the winter.A few species can survive short-term exposure to sub-freezingtemperatures, enabling them tooverwinter in crevices in clifffaces or inside the outer wallsof buildings.

Courtship and ReproductionMost bats that livein temperateregions, such as theUnited States andCanada, mate in thefall just before enteringhibernation. Ovulationand fertilization (throughsperm that have been dormantin the female reproductive tract

since the previous fall) occur inthe spring as females emergefrom hibernation. Pregnantfemales then move from hiber-

nating sites to warmer roosts,where they form nurserycolonies. Birth occurs approxi-mately a month and a half totwo months later. Young batsgrow rapidly, often learning tofly within three weeks. Whilethey are being reared, males

and non-reproductive femalesoften segregate into separategroups called bachelor colonies.

Although 70 percent of bats eatinsects, many tropical speciesfeed exclusively on fruit ornectar. A few are carnivorous,hunting small vertebrates suchas fish, frogs, mice, and birds.Despite their notoriety, thereare only three species ofvampire bats, they do not

attack humans, and they liveonly in Latin America. Withthe exception of three speciesof nectar-feeding bats that livealong the Mexican border ofArizona and Texas, all bats inthe United States and Canadaare insectivorous.

Bats can be found roosting in awide range of shelters,

although they are bestknown for living incaves. Tropicalspecies occupy aneven wider range ofroost sites thantemperate species.

For example,some maketent-like roostsby bitingthrough themidribs of

large leaves, and several specieshave suction discs on theirwings and feet that enablethem to live in the slick-walledcavities formed by unfurlingleaves, such as those of thebanana plant. Others live inanimal burrows, flowers,termite nests, and even in largetropical spider webs. Despitethe wide variety of roosts usedby bats, many species haveadapted to living in roosts ofonly one or a few types andcannot survive anywhere else.

Young bats growrapidly, often

learning to fly withinthree weeks.

Proportion of bat species with each kind of bat diet.


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Why Should I Care about Bats?Worldwide, bats play essentialroles in keeping populations ofnight-flying insects in balance.Just one bat can catch hundredsof insects in an hour, and large

colonies catch tons of insectsnightly, including beetle andmoth species that cost Amer-ican farmers and forestersbillions of dollars annually, notto mention mosquitoes in ourbackyards. In a single mid-summer night, the 20 millionfree-tailed bats from BrackenCave in central Texas eat morethan 200 tons of insects!

Throughout the tropics, theseed dispersal and pollinationactivities of fruit- and nectar-eating bats are vital to thesurvival of rain forests, withsome bats acting as “keystone’’

species. Each of thesespecies of batssupports plants thatare crucial to entireecosystems. Manyplants bloom atnight, using unique odorsand special flower shapesthat attract bats. Thefamous baobab tree ofthe eastern Africansavannas is a goodexample. Only bats canapproach from below in amanner likely to contactthe flower’s reproductive organsand achieve pollination.

Wild varieties of many of theworld’s most economicallyvaluable crop plants also relyon bats for survival. Some ofthe better-known commercialproducts include fruits such asbananas, breadfruit, avocados,dates, figs, peaches, andmangoes. Others includecloves, cashews, carob, balsawood, and even tequila.

We already know that morethan 300 plant species in theOld World tropics alone relyon the pollinating and seeddispersal services of bats, andadditional bat-plant relation-ships are constantly beingdiscovered. These plants

provide more than 450economically important prod-ucts, valued in the hundreds ofmillions of dollars annually. The value of tropical bats inreforestation alone is enor-mous. Seeds dropped by batscan account for up to 95percent of forest regrowth oncleared land. Performing thisessential role puts these batsamong the most importantseed-dispersing animals of boththe Old and New Worldtropics.

Excerpted with permission from “The Worldof Bats’’ in America’s Neighborhood Batsby Merlin Tuttle, Copyright © 1988. Courtesy of the University of Texas Press.


Seeds dropped by bats can accountfor up to 95 percent

of forest regrowth on cleared land.

Featured Bats

Macrotus californicus,California leaf-nosed bat

The Cali-fornia leaf-nosed bat isthe only batin the UnitedStates to have

both large ears and a nose leaf. Itis also one of the most acrobaticfliers. This bat is a “gleaner,”which means it is one of the fewU.S. bats that swoops down tocapture insect prey straight fromthe ground or plants rather thanin flight. It typically huntswithin a few feet of the ground,using its superior eyesight andhearing to search for insects suchas crickets, grasshoppers, beetles,and sphinx moths. Californialeaf-nosed bats do not hibernate,nor do they migrate. They canbe found in desert scrub habitatsin the Colorado River valley insouthern California, Nevada,and Arizona, and throughoutwestern Mexico.

Antrozous pallidus,pallid bat

The pallidbat haslarge ears,but no noseleaf. It is

another gleaner that feedsmostly from the ground, unlikethe majority of North Americanbats, which capture flying prey.With its huge ears, it can detectinsects simply by listening forfootsteps, and it can respondaccurately to a split-secondsound from up to 16 feet away.Its most common prey includecrickets, beetles, grasshoppers,and even scorpions. Pallid batsroost in rock crevices, buildings,and bridges in arid regions.They are found from Mexicoand the southwestern UnitedStates north through Oregon,Washington, and westernCanada.

Lasiurusborealis,red batRed batsare NorthAmerica’smost abundant “tree bats.”They are found east of theRocky Mountains from centralCanada to central Florida wher-ever there are trees. Red batsroost in tree foliage, where theirrusty red color makes them looklike dead leaves. They areperfectly camouflaged as theyhang from a single foot withtheir furry tails curled aroundthem. Red bats are solitary,coming together only to mate

and to migrate. Unlike mostbats, red bats often give birth totwins and can have litters of upto five young, though three isaverage. In the fall they performlong-distance migrations, travel-ling the same routes along theAtlantic seaboard as many smallbirds do.

Euderma maculatum,spotted bat

Thespotted batis one ofAmerica’smoststriking

mammals. Its long, silky fur issnow white beneath and jetblack above, with large whitespots on its shoulders andrump. Its translucent pink ears,nearly as long as its body, arethe largest of any bat found inthe United States, and it haspink wings to match! Initiallythought to be extremely rare,the spotted bat is now known tolive from southwestern Canada,south through the westernUnited States to northernMexico. It is hard to findbecause it roosts high up incliff-face crevices and emerges tofeed late at night. Moths thatare caught high above theground are its favorite prey.



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Summary:

Students investigate adaptationsthat increase a bat’s chance offinding food and surviving in aparticular habitat.

Grade Level:3-6

Time:two activity periods

Subject:science

Skills:observation, comparison,hypothesizing

Learning Objectives:Students will be able to:

✔ List several different foodsthat bats eat.

✔ Describe anatomical featuresthat lend themselves toparticular bat diets.

✔ Analyze bat features to accu-rately predict their diets.

Materials:✔ Bats Adapt for Food cards

(one set of six cards for eachgroup)

✔ Bat Food Clues at the end ofthe lesson, paper for studentsto write answers

Background

Did you ever stop to think whatthe world would be like if allanimals suddenly tried to eatjust one kind of food? What ifthey all decided to eat just grass?The answer is simple. Theysoon would run out of grass andstarve to death. Because animalseat a wide variety of foods, theycompete less, allowing manydifferent species of animals tolive in the same habitat andmaintain healthy ecosystems.

Most of the world’s bats eatinsects, and in areas with coldwinters, that is all they eat.Many tropical bats eat fruit andnectar, and a few are carnivoresthat eat other animals, includingrats and mice, small birds, frogs,lizards, or even fish. Only threeout of more than 1,000 speciesof bats drink blood.

Each species of bat is adaptedfor the food it eats. Some batsspecialize in eating just one or afew kinds of food, but othersare generalists that eat a widevariety of foods. Long-nosedbats have noses of varied lengthsand widths that match the sizesand shapes of the flowers fromwhich they drink nectar.Carollia fruit bats are adapted tofeeding almost entirely on small

piper fruits, but some flyingfoxes are generalists that eatmany sizes and kinds of fruit aswell as nectar.

Some bats that catch insectshave adaptations for huntingcertain kinds of prey or forcapturing them in certainplaces. Free-tailed bats are likelittle jet airplanes, using theirlong, narrow wings and far-reaching echolocation (sonarsystems) for chasing moths highup in the sky. California leaf-nosed bats are more like heli-copters, relying on short, broadwings to snatch crickets andother insects from plants or theground. They can use theirextra-large eyes and ears to findinsects without even usingecholocation. Big brown batshave especially strong jaws andteeth for chewing hard beetles.Pipistrelles have tiny teeth foreating gnats and mosquitoes,and gray myotis have large feetfor catching mayflies as theyhatch from a pond’s surface.

Most experienced bat scientistscan guess what a bat eats bylooking closely at its adapta-tions. Long, narrow wings orlarge tail membranes are usuallyadaptations for catching insects,but if the bat also has huge feetand claws, it probably eats fish.



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ACTIVITY

1investigating bat adaptations

Just having large, but not overlylarge, feet would indicate a batthat catches insects from pondsurfaces. If a bat is large and hasstrong jaws, long canine teeth,and a large tail membrane, it isprobably a carnivore, adaptedboth to eating meat and toturning quickly while chasingprey. If it has strong jaws andlong canine teeth, but has onlya very small tail membrane, it isa fruit bat that does not need tochase prey, but is adapted forbiting into tough-skinned fruitto squeeze the juice out.Both insect-eating andmeat-eating bats alwayshave long tails or tailmembranes, butmeat-eaters arethe largest and have thestrongest jaws.

Special adaptations allow bats tofind and eat certain kinds offood with little or no competi-tion from other species. This isvery successful as long as theirunique food type is abundant,but such specialization is risky,because the kinds of prey, fruit,or flowers a bat eats might dieout, leaving the bat to starve.Animals that eat a variety offoods can switch types if onedisappears, but they cannotcompete well with specializedanimals for any one food. Most

specialists, such as the huge-footed fishing bats, or long-nosed nectar bats, live only intropical areas where climates

and food sources arethe most predictable.Bats that live innorthern climates,where changes are

frequent andunpredictable,

are all insect-eatersthat seldom

specialize onany oneinsect type.

In theseplaces, it is rare to find

a bat with highly specializedwings, feet, or ears.

Preparation

Make enough copies of the BatsAdapt for Food cards todistribute one complete set toeach group. You may want tolaminate the cards for durability.

Procedure

1. Divide your class into groupsof six or more students each.

2. Distribute one complete setof Food Cards to each group.Tell the group to divide the

fact cards among its membersso that every student canbecome an expert on one ofthe bat eating habits. (Twostudents can share a singlecard in groups having morethan six students.)

3. Ask students to take out apiece of paper and number itfrom one to twelve down theleft-hand side. Ask questionsby reading the “Bat FoodClues” to the class one at atime.

4. Give each group a minute ortwo to discuss each givenclue, and decide what type ofbat it is (for example, insect-eating, fruit-eating, etc.).

5. After all Bat Food Clues aregiven and students havewritten their answers, go backthrough the ’ Bat Food Clues’and lead the class indiscussing the answers. Bonusquestions after each Bat FoodClue can be used to stimulateadditional discussion. Eachgroup’s expert on each feedingtype can be called upon tohelp lead discussions.


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8 | WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE ARCTIC?

Extensions

✔ Challenge students to investi-gate other animals that havefood habits similar to bats.For example, some birdssnatch insects out of the air,while others pick them fromfoliage. How do the habits andhabitats of these birds comparewith those of bats? What aboutfruit-eating birds? Nectar-eating birds? Fish-eating birds?Are there any other animalsthat eat blood? Students canpresent their results in posteror report format.

✔ There have been many otherbats featured on stamps fromall countries and many otherbackyard wildlife speciesfeatured on U.S. stamps. Seehow many you can find tostart your collection. Visitthe American PhilatelicSociety’s website,www.stamps.org/kids/kid_StampFun.htm, for moreinformation on these stamps,stamp collecting, andNational Stamp CollectingMonth (October, 2002).

Assessment

✔ Have students write letters toadvertisers they select,explaining why they think abat would make the perfectmascot for their product.Students could apply theirknowledge of bat characteris-tics and make their ownconnections to products.For example, bats can foldtheir wings around them toprotect them from theelements, sothey’d makea great mascotfor umbrellas or rain-coats. Or bats could adver-tise insect repellent since theyeat mosquitoes. Or maybeaircraft manufacturers, sincebats use radar. Sports teams?Night vision goggles?

✔ Have students create aHalloween card with a bat onit to mail to their grandpar-ents or friends. Inside, theycould include a “Did YouKnow?” section listing inter-esting facts they learnedabout bats.

Excerpted with permission from “Discover Bats!’’ a multi-media activityguide by Bat Conservation International, Copyright © 1998.

1.WHO AM I?Clue: My toes and claws are exceptionally long,and the sides of my toes and claws are flat.Bonus Questions:What is the advantage of having long toes andclaws? What is the advantage of having flattened toes and claws?Answers:1. I am a fish-eating bat. Can reach into waterwithout submerging body. To glide easily through water.

2.WHO AM I?Clue: My legs are extra strong and my kidneyswork quickly so I can eliminate water as fast as I eat.Bonus Questions:How do fast-working kidneys help a blood-eatingbat? What is the advantage of extra strong legs?Answers:2. I am a blood-eating bat.To get rid of the water,so the bat won't be too heavy to fly. To walk onthe ground while stalking large prey or to jumpaway quickly if the prey wakes.

3.WHO AM I?Clue: I am a large, strong bat with large ears andbroad wings.Bonus Questions:Why does a carnivorous bat need big ears? What isthe advantage of having broad wings?Answers:3. I am a meat-eating bat. To listen to and findprey. To better lift heavy prey.

4.WHO AM I?Clue: I fly fast over quiet water, searching for tinymoving objects. My fur is oily.Bonus Questions:What is the advantage of flying over calm water?What is the advantage of oily fur?Answers:4. I am a fish-eating bat. To easily detect tiny fintips using echolocation. To shed water, keep batfur dry, and avoid getting cold.

5.WHO AM I?Clue: My short, broad wings and my large tailmembrane allow me to dart in and out ofbranches.Bonus Questions:What is the advantage of being able to dart in andout of branches? What is the advantage of being ableto catch insects on the ground or in bushes?Answers:5. I am an insect-eating bat that catches prey onthe ground or on plants. To avoid obstacles andcatch prey. To avoid competing for food withother bats that feed in the open.

6.WHO AM I?Clue: I have sharp teeth and strong jaws that cancut or crush big meals, I also have a big tailmembrane.Bonus Questions:What is the advantage of having sharp teeth andstrong jaws? What is the advantage of a big tailmembrane?Answers:6. I am a meat-eating bat. To quckily kill and cutup large prey and break bones. To maneuverbetter when chasing prey.



1ACTIVITY

teacher REFERENCE SHEETBat Food Clues

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teacher REFERENCE SHEET

7.WHO AM I?Clue: My teeth are small, except for my frontteeth, which are sharp and can cut like a razor.My nose can detect heat.Bonus Questions:Why are razor-sharp teeth important? What is theadvantage of a heat-sensitive nose?Answers:7. I am a blood-eating bat. To make quick, painless cuts. To find areas on prey that are rich in blood.

8.WHO AM I?Clue: I have sophisticated echolocation abilities;long, narrow wings; and small ears.Bonus Questions:Why do bats have echolocation as well as goodeyesight? What advantages do long, narrow wingshave?Answers:8. I am an insect-eating bat that catches prey inthe air. To pursue prey on the darkest nights andto roost in deep, dark caves where they are safefrom predators. To chase fast-flying insects andtravel far.

9.WHO AM I?Clue: I can smell my food from a long way offand I don't have to echolocate.Bonus Questions:Why do many of these bats not need to echolocate?Why is a good sense of smell important?Answers:9. I am a fruit-eating bat. They don't live in cavesand echolocaiton isn't necessary for finding fruit.To smell ripe fruits, because color can't be seen inthe dark.

10.WHO AM I?Clue: My tongue is long and my wings allow meto hover.Bonus Questions:Why does this bat need to hover in flight? What isthe value of a long tongue?Answers:10. I am a nectar-eating bat. To visit flowersrapidly without landing, therefore staying safefrom predators. To reach deep in to flowers andlap up nectar.

11.WHO AM I?Clue: My teeth are flat and my jaws are strong soI can squeeze juice from my food.Bonus Questions:Why does this bat discard as much pulp as possible?What is the advantage of having flat teeth?Answers:11. I am a fruit-eating bat. To get the most nutri-tious part of the fruit without carrying extraweight. To squeeze out juice without cutting upthe pulp.

12.WHO AM I?Clue: My nose is long and narrow and my teethare very small.Bonus Questions:What is the advantage of small teeth? What is theadvantage of a long, narrow nose?Answers:12. I am a nectar-eating bat. Nectar doesn't needto be chewed, so heavy teeth aren't needed. Toreach deep into long, narrow flowers.

Bat Food Clues



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WORKSHEET

Bats Adapt for Food Cards

Meat-Eating BatCarnivore (CAR-nih-vore)

Body: Large size for capturing and carrying off other animals.

Head: Strong jaws for killing prey; large ears helpidentify and locate a mouse's footsteps or the call ofa frog.

Wings: Broad, with up to three-foot wingspan; largetail membrane for maneuvering rapidly.

Teeth: Sharp molars and long canines for chopping flesh and crushing bones.

Fish-Eating BatPiscivore (PISK-kah-vore)

Body: Larger than average size; long legs and enormous feet; long, sharp, hooked claws; toes flatfor knifing through water; oily fur that sheds water to keep dry.

Head: Strong jaws for killing and chewing fish;special echolocation ability to detect ripples or fins on water surface.

Wings: Narrow and long for flying fast over water.

Teeth: Sharp (similar to insectivores), for choppingand grinding fish.

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WORKSHEET


Blood-Eating BatSanguivore (SAN-gua-vore)

Body: Strong legs for walking on ground or climbingon prey and for jumping into flight when full of blood.

Head: Heat-sensitive nose helps find blood vesselsclosest to prey’s skin surface; short pug muzzle makesbiting easier.

Wings: Broad and short; strong enough to carryheavy food loads with a full stomach.

Teeth: Tiny molars; incisors forming large, razor-sharpblades for slicing prey's skin; grooved tongue for lappingblood; special saliva keeps blood from clotting so batcan keep drinking.

Special: Kidneys allow bat to urinate as fast as it eats to lighten the load before flying home

Insect-Eating Bat Insectivore (in-SECK-tih-vore)

Body: Many body shapes, all small.

Head: Many kinds of faces and ears that aidecholocation and hearing while hunting forinsects.

Wings: Insectivores that catch insects on theground or on plants (gleaning insectivores) havebroad, short wings and large tail membranes fordarting in and out of branches or hovering closeto the ground. Insectivores that chase insects inthe air while flying (aerial insectivores) have longer,narrower wings and often have smaller ears forstreamlining; some use their tail membrane to helpcatch prey.

Teeth: Sharp, for grinding and chopping toughinsect bodies.



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1ACTIVITY

WORKSHEET

Fruit-Eating Bat Frugivore (FROO-gah-vore)

Body: Often large with bright colors; most have notail and little or no tail membrane.

Head: Medium to short snouts; keen nose forsmelling ripe fruit; strong jaws for biting fruit; large eyeswith excellent vision; many don't echolocate.

Wings: Wide and short for carrying heavy fruits; smalltail membrane.

Teeth: Wide, flat grinding teeth and strong jaws forcrushing fruit-separates juice and spits out pulp; somehave grooved teeth to more easily collect juice.

Nectar-Eating BatNectarivore (NECT-ter-ah-vore)

Body: Small body

Head: Long, slender snout fits perfectly into flowers;long, delicate jaw; grooved lower lip and rough,scaly tongue to catch nectar; excellent vision; andsense of smell.

Wings: Short and wide with long wingtips forhovering above flowers.

Teeth: Small; not used much for chewing due toliquid diet.


2ACTIVITY

Summary:

Students explore their views of a threatened bat and present their findings.

Grade Levels:3-8; K-2

Time:Two or more class periods,depending on the presentations.

Subjects:science, reading, presentation,social studies

Skills:analysis, application, classifica-tion, comparison, description,evaluation, research, synthesis


✔ Describe several viewspeople hold about bats.

✔ Identify misconceptionsabout a threatened species.

✔ Reflect on changes in theirattitudes about wildlife.

✔ Share natural history andconservation knowledgeabout bats.

Materials:✔ Copies of “Threatened:The

Indiana Bat” readings(whichever one is moreappropriate for yourstudents’ reading level). Eachstudent will need onereading.

✔ Craft materials (optional)✔ Props (optional)

Background

Humans tend to find someanimals naturally compelling,while others are not soappealing. For example, manyof us would much rather seemoose, loons, and rabbits on ajaunt in the woods than snakes,spiders, and bats. Because ofthe way these animals havebeen portrayed in myths, folk-lore, books, and movies, manyof us are biased towards cute,furry animals, even though allspecies play important roles intheir ecosystems. Althoughsome of our responses tocertain wildlife help protect usfrom danger, logic does notalways guide our beliefs andbehaviors. Furthermore, wetend to overlook the benefitssome species offer humans andother wildlife. For example,spiders and bats help control ’nuisance’ insects and providefood for other animals. Manysnakes control some rodentpopulations. Yet, many of ourbeliefs about animals are notbased on scientific facts.

Beneficial Bats Bats often suffer from negative,Halloween-like associations.Many people think of Dracula,blood-sucking fangs, disease, orbats tangled in the hair. Arethese perceptions fair? Do bats

drink blood? Only three out ofthe more than 1,000 species ofbats are actually ’ vampirebats,’ and these species all liveonly in Latin America. Virtually all U.S. bats areinsect-eaters (There are a fewbats in the Southwest that liveon nectar and a few species eatfish). Do bats carry disease? Like all animals, bats can carrydiseases. Yet public-healthworries about bats are exagger-ated. The probability ofcatching a disease from a bat isfar less than the risk of beingstruck by lightning. For anyonewho simply leaves bats alone,and never attempts to handlethem, they are invaluable alliesthat need not be feared.However, as with other wildanimals, those that can becaught are most likely to besick, and, because these maybite in self-defense, and cantransmit potentially dangerousdiseases, they never should behandled.

Most of our fears about wildlifeare generated from some levelof primal fear based simply onthe unknown. Bats are small,mysterious creatures of thenight that spend time in cavesand other dark places. Interest-ingly, in the tropics, wheremany of the bats are much



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bats:maligned or malicious?

larger and more easily seen intheir habitats, they are notfeared.

Due to killing stemming fromcarelessness or the fear of bats,and continued habitat loss, batpopulations have suffered. Batsreproduce slowly, typicallyrearing only one young peryear, making populationrecovery a slow process. Insteadof spreading myths, we shouldconsider bats’ real roles inecosystems. Bats are importantto the natural world. Feedingat night, they catch billions ofinsects. Nature’s bug-zappersare wonderfully efficient,catching as many as 600mosquitoes an hour. Bats alsoeat a number of crop pests,helping farmers and reducingthe need for harmful pesticides.Many tropical bats feed onfruit or nectar and in theprocess pollinate plants anddisperse seeds, helping toregenerate the forest. Anynumber of familiar plantsdepend on bats, including figs,bananas, avocados, cloves, andcashews.

Procedure

1. Tell your students that theywill be learning about bats.For fun, ask them to practicemaking a special soundmade by a bat called the“body buzz.’’ The bodybuzz is a low sound batsmake when they are restingand seem contented beforethey go to sleep. The bat’swhole body vibrates.

2. What do your studentsknow about bats, importantanimals throughout NorthAmerica? Instruct studentsto create a concept map forbats. A concept map is adiagram representingthoughts and ideas associ-ated with a certain subject,in this case a bat. (Seediagram for an example,done for wolves.) Encouragestudents to record their ownideas and then share withtheir group; there are noright or wrong answers.

3. Review the concept maps asa class and discuss anycommonalities. How arebats generally perceived by theclass? In a positive light? Anegative light? Why?

4. Distribute copies of ’Threatened: The IndianaBat’ to each student. (Note:

two versions are provided; pickthe version with the readinglevel most appropriate for yourstudents.) Another option is tohave students conduct theresearch themselves. Mentionthat Indiana bats are threat-ened species in the UnitedStates. There are also manyother species of batsthroughout North America. 5. Give students time to read

about bats. 6. If possible, head outside to

evaluate your schoolgrounds or a local area ashabitat for bats. Is there aforest nearby? Are there anycaves or streamside treeswhere bats could roost andfeed? Are there trees withpeeling bark for bats to hideunder?

7. Back in the classroom,divide the class into smallgroups of two to threestudents. Explain that eachgroup will be responsiblefor designing and sharing apresentation about bats.

8. Give students the followingguidelines for their presen-tations. The presentationsmight be in the form of anewscast (perhaps inter-viewing a biologist), skit,radio show, documentary,song, poster, mural,



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diorama, or other medium.The final presentationshould last roughly fiveminutes. In addition tobeing fun and creative, thepresentations should alsoconvey key, accurate infor-mation about bats. Oneimportant role of the pres-entation is to educatepeople about myths theymay have heard about bats.For example, are bats reallyblood suckers? What kinds ofbenefits do bats provide topeople and ecosystems?

9. Let students know they willbe evaluated on theirpresentations. As a class,develop a list of criteria forjudging the presentations.Record the ideas on theboard. Encourage studentsto think about what theybelieve makes a goodpresentation. For example:

Did the presentation demon-strate how bats really behave?Did it show us why bats areimportant? Were the factscorrect? Was the informationclearly presented? Was the pres-entation interesting?Creative? Did it change theway classmates think aboutbats?

10. Give students time to workin their groups to preparetheir presentations. Have

additional research mate-rials available, particularlyon bat pollination ifpossible. Also, considerhaving props available, orput students in charge offinding what they need fortheir presentations. If timeallows, this can developinto a more involvedproject taking several classperiods.

11. Presentation time! Invitestudent groups to delivertheir presentations to therest of the class. After eachpresentation, review thecriteria listed on the boardas a class and evaluate thepresentation. Remindstudents of the differencebetween constructive anddestructive criticism.Encourage students tobegin with positivecomments and add sugges-tions for improvement.

12. To conclude, have studentsdevelop a second conceptmap for bats. Then havestudents compare their pre-and post-concept maps toreflect on their new under-standing of these animals.Discuss some of theirresults.

Modifications forYounger Students(Grades K-2)

For younger students, intro-duce the book Stellaluna, byJanell Cannon. This delightfulstory portrays bats in a posi-tive light, following the anticsof the young bat Stellaluna asshe spends time with a familyof birds and discovers her trueidentity.

Modifications for(Grades 5-8)

Older students can researchdifferent species of bats ontheir own, instead of relying onthe readings provided. Theycould conduct comparisonsamong different kinds of bats,their diets, habitat require-ments, and what plants theymay pollinate.

Extensions

✔ Have students deliver theirpresentations for other audi-ences. For example, inviteanother class, or parents. Orshare the presentations with aparent or teacher association.

✔ Do bats live in your region? Ifso, which ones? Build (ororder) bat boxes to make a



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Schoolyard Habitats® sitefor bats. Bats are decliningin part due to a loss ofroosting sites. Providing aplace for bats to roost andraise their young can be anexciting project to benefitbats, and a great lead-in tothe Schoolyard Habitatsproject. For details, andmore information about batsand bat research projects,consult Bat ConservationInternational’s (BCI) websiteat www.batcon.org. BCI is anonprofit organization dedi-cated to bat conservation,research, and public educa-tion. BCI sells ready-madebat houses and offersdetailed instructions on howto build inexpensive bathouses. See pages 20-23 ofthis guide for a lesson planusing these instructions. Theestimated cost of materialsto build a BCI bat housethat can host over 100 batsis less than $20.

✔ What other animals sufferfrom human misconceptions?Investigate and find out.One example is raptors, suchas eagles and hawks.Although they are protectedby law, magnificent animalssuch as eagles were once shotas pests and for sport.

Compare the views thatvarious cultures, includingNative American nations,have toward eagles and otherwildlife species. Whichwildlife species do they likeand dislike? Why?

✔ Examined up close, batshave beautifully complicatedfaces and bodies. As a classproject, feature a bat beautycontest. Students can findpictures of bats and createdetailed drawings of theirfeatures.

✔ Think of common phrasesthat refer to bats. Forexample, “blind as a bat’’and “going batty.” Canyou think of others? Havestudents investigate theorigin and meaning of thesephrases, as well as whetherthey are fair statements basedon bats’ true behaviors andcharacteristics.

Assessment

✔ Compare the perceptionsvarious cultures haveregarding bats today andhistorically. Students mightdivide into groups (perhapsby region of the world orera) to investigate how thesebats are portrayed in myths,

stories, art, phrases, and folktales. Consider a trip to anart or natural historymuseum to search for infor-mation on bats. As follow-up, students can investigatewhether the portrayal is fairgiven the animal’s truebehavior.

✔ For young students,encourage them to list asmany adjectives as they canthink of that begin with theletters ‘b’ to describe bats.Which of the ‘b’ adjectivesaccurately describe the bat?Do people ever use some of theother adjectives to describe theanimals? Which ones? Why?For example, are bats blindand bold or beautiful andbeneficial?

✔ Pre- and post-concept mapsdescribed in the lesson offera great assessment tool.



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2ACTIVITY



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WORKSHEET

Is a bat a mouse with wings? No, bats are notrodents. Instead, bats belong to their own specialgroup of mammals, Chiroptera.There are morethan 1,000 different kinds or species, of bats in theworld. Forty-five different species live in theUnited States.

Some bats eat nectar, fruit, or even fish, but almostall of the bats in the United States eat insects. Infact, they eat lots and lots of insects. One bat caneat more than 600 flying insects such as mosqui-toes in one hour! They find their food by “echolo-cation.’’ They make sounds (which humans can'thear) that bounce off other objects and return totheir ears.These sounds help them to fly safely andlocate their prey.

Many people don’t like bats. People think bats canget tangled in their hair or spread disease. In fact,bats can see and are very good at finding their wayaround in the dark. A bat can “see” something asfine as a human hair using echolocation.The chanceof a bat giving someone a disease is less than thechance of being struck by lightning. In fact, bats arevery useful to people. They eat insects that mightdamage farmers' plants and helppollinate our crops.

At least nine bat species in the United States areendangered. Many bats are disappearing becausepeople misunderstand them or try to get rid ofthem, and they are losing their habitat. Bats sufferbecause we disturb the caves and forests theyneed. The Indiana Bat is one species in trouble.This bat lives in parts of Maine,Vermont, NewHampshire, and New York, as well as states farthersouth and west. In winter, Indiana bats hibernate in

caves with a temperature of37-43° F. The caves were oncefilled with bats, but now many of the bats are gone.For example, one cave in Kentucky had at least100,000 bats in the 1960s, but only 250 by 1987.

Why are bats disappearing? Some people like toexplore caves, which may disturb bats while theyare hibernating. If bats wake up from hibernationand have to move around, they will use too muchenergy and not have enough to survive the winter.Other times, people build cave gates that lock thebats out of their winter homes. Some gates trap airin the caves and make it too hot for the bats.Humans are also changing forests and causingproblems for Indiana bats in their summer habitat.Bats like to feed and roost in trees near water-ways. But in some areas, these important trees arecleared by logging, driving away the bats. In otherplaces, dams have been constructed, removing thetrees near the waterways that bats prefer.

But there is hope! In some places, people havebuilt bat-friendly gates. For example, in Tennessee,people built a special gate that weighs 23 tons.Thegate lets bats into their natural habitat but keepspeople out of this important place for bats.

Many other animals also like to live and feed inforests next to streams. So, if we protect treesnext to waterways, we’re protecting habitat forbats and other animals.

What do you think about saving bats?

Indiana Bat



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2ACTIVITY

WORKSHEET

Indiana Bat

Bats look like mice with wings, but they are notrodents. In fact, they belong to their own groupwithin the class of mammals, and this group isamong mammals' most successful. Of the approxi-mately 4,000 species of mammals, nearly a quarter-over 1,000 species-are bats.

A few bats feed on nectar or fruit, but most feed oninsects.They have large appetites.A single bat, flyingthrough the night sky in pursuit of prey, may eat morethan 600 flying insects in one hour.A bat that lives for30 years may consume several million insects.

Bats are high on the list of animals that are victimsof human myths and misunderstandings.Well-adapted to flying at night, bats can navigate in totaldarkness across a room crisscrossed with strings.They do it by sending out sounds that bounce offof objects and return to the bats' ears, which readthem like radar. One myth, that bats generally carrythe disease rabies, is also false. Only one-half ofone percent (0.5%) of healthy-looking bats exam-ined in one U.S. study was found to be rapid.

On the other hand, bats are useful to people. Somebat species are pollinators of useful plants, eatingnectar from blossoms and carrying pollen fromflower to flower.Agaves, plants of the desertSouthwest used in making fiber ropes and otherproducts, are bat-pollinated. Bats not only helppeople by eating huge numbers of insects, but batstudies have been important in the development oflow-temperature surgery, vaccines, and navigationalaids for the blind.

In recent decades, several U.S. bat species have hadpopulation declines. In 1973, the Indiana batbecame the first of nine U.S. bat species to appear

on the Endangered Species List.The story of theIndiana bat shows the problems faced by many ofthe 45 bat species in the United States.The Indiana bat is roughly the size of a housesparrow, with gray-brown fur and pink to cinnamonunderparts. It eats insects, which females and juve-niles snatch from the air over streams and trees.Males look for food at treetop level over densewoods.The species can be found in the Midwestand eastern United States, from the westernOzarks of Oklahoma north to southern Wisconsin,east to Vermont, and south to Florida.

In winter, the Indiana bat hibernates in limestonecaves, especially caves in which temperaturesaverage 37° to 43° F with a relative humidity aver-aging 74 percent. In summer, Indiana bats live inhilly countryside, along riverbanks, and on lowplains.The bats roost under the bark of dead anddying trees in these areas.

The Indiana bat population has been falling since atleast the 1960s. For example, in the 1960s,Kentucky had five caves in which more than150,000 Indiana bats hibernated. By 1988, the totalwinter population in the five caves was only49,000.Today, nearly 90 percent of all Indiana batshibernate in only seven caves.

One of the main reasons that batnumbers are falling is the loss ofcave habitat, especially caves used forhibernation. Some caves have been made intotourist attractions. Others have been destroyed byvandals or disturbed by spelunkers (people whoexplore caves). Since 1950, these and other causeshave eliminated and degraded major winter batcolonies of West Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois.

ACTIVITY



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Summary:

Students build a bat house fortheir Backyard WildlifeHabitatTM or SchoolyardHabitats® Site.

Grade Level:2-8

Time:2 hours (plus painting andinstallation time)

Subject:science, art, math

Skills:construction, description,analysis


✔ Identify reasons for building abat house.

✔ Demonstrate a method forbuilding a bat house.

✔ Identify key criteria forsuccessful bat houses.

Materials:(for each house)✔ 1/4 sheet ( 2'' x 4'' ) 1/2''

CDX (outdoor grade)plywood

✔ One piece 1' x 2' (3/4'' x 13/4'' finished) x 8'' pine(furring strip)

✔ 20 to 30 11/4'' coated deckor exterior-grade Phillipsscrews

✔ One pint black, water-basedstain, exterior-grade

✔ One pint water-based primer,exterior-grade

✔ One quart flat water-basedpaint or stain, exterior-grade*

✔ One tube paintable latexcaulk

✔ 1'' x 3'' x 28'' board for roof ✔ 6 to 10 7/8'' roofing nails

*Years of research have shown that bathouses are far more successful atattracting bats if they are painted orstained. Painting helps maintain theproper internal temperature for batsand also increases the life span of thebat house.Appropriate color dependsupon geographic location and amount ofsun exposure.Adjust to darker colorsfor less sun. Use exterior-quality, water-based stain or latex paint, and chooseflat paint rather than gloss or semi-gloss.

Recommended Tools✔ table saw (for adults only) or

handsaw, caulking gun, vari-able speed reversing drill,paintbrushes, Phillips bit fordrill, tape measure or yard-stick, scissors (optional),staple gun (optional)

Background

Why Build a Bat House?America’s bats are an invaluablenatural resource. Yet, due todecades of unwarranted humanfear and habitat loss, bats are inalarming decline. The loss of batscontributes to growing demandsfor toxic pesticides that increas-ingly threaten our personal andenvironmental health.

The most important goal is topreserve America’s most abun-dant bats in sufficient numbersto maintain nature’s balance. Ifyou live in areas of bat habitats,putting up a bat house near yourhome or school can help providea critical safe haven for bats. Batsmake good neighbors; asprimary predators of night-flying insects, they play a vitalrole in maintaining the balanceof nature. People with occupiedbat houses on their propertiesbenefit from having fewer lawnand garden pests, and they enjoylearning about bats and sharingtheir knowledge with friendsand neighbors. Few efforts onbehalf of wildlife are more funor rewarding than helping bats.

Note: Some teachers opt to buyready-to-hang bat houses andconcentrate the lesson instead onselecting a good site for mounting

3build a bat house!

Bat House Color Recommendations Based on Average Daily HighTemperatures in July

Less than 85˚ F = black

85˚ to 95˚ F = dark brown or otherdark shade

95˚ to 100˚ F = medium brown orother medium shade

100˚ F or greater = light tan or otherlight shade

it. Superior quality bat houses areavailable through the Bat Conser-vation International catalogue at1-800-538-BATS in the U.S.and Canada.

Looking for additional or otherways to provide better bathabitat? You can try these othersimple actions to attract bats toyour Backyard Wildlife Habitator Schoolyard Habitats site, byproviding the insects to eat,water to drink, and places tohide that bats need for theirhabitat. ✔ Got an anti-bug zapper in

your yard? You might wantto think about getting rid ofit! Zappers are useless onmost biting insects and onlykill light-attracted moths,which are good food for bats.

✔ Trees and shrubs, even deadones left standing, are excel-lent hideouts for bats—andbirds.

✔ Bats need water to drink. Ifyou build a mini-pond,you’ll also attract frogs andmany other water creatures.Find out how to do this onNWF’s website:www.nwf.org/backyard-wildlifehabitat/ or at agarden center or library.

✔ Close up any holes in yourattic to ensure that your

neighborhood bats use youroutdoor wildlife habitat, andnot your house!

Preparation

1. Measure and cut plywoodinto three pieces for eachgroup: 26 1/2'' x 24'' for theback board, 16 1/2'' x 24''for the front top, 5'' x 24''for the front bottom.

2. Pre-drill 11 screw holes onthe back board, four on eachside and three across the top.

3. Pre-drill nine screw-holes onthe front top board, three oneach side and three acrossthe top.

4. Pre-drill four screw holes onthe front bottom board, twoon each side.

Procedure

1. Ask students, What do youknow about bats? Make a liston the board. What would youlike to know? Make a parallellist. Discuss some of themajor characteristics of bats(from background) with thestudents, and refer back totheir list for later explorations.

2. Explain to students thatmany bats are highly endan-gered (What does that mean?)due to habitat destruction

and disturbance. If you livein an area bats use for habitat(check www.enature.com ifyou need to check), whatcould you do to help them?One idea is to build a bathouse to provide additionalhabitat for them.

3. Divide your students intosmall groups to make bathouses, or make onetogether as a large group.Make sure to use all appro-priate safely considerations,equipment, and adult super-vision for use of tools.

4. Roughen inside of back-board and landing area bycutting horizontal grooveswith sharp object or saw.Space grooves about 1/2"apart, cutting 1/32" to 1/16"deep. Ask students, why youmight want to do this? (Thebats need such texture forclimbing and roosting.)



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5. Apply two coats of black,water-based stain to interiorsurfaces. Do not use paint,as it will fill grooves, makingthem unusable.

6. Measure and cut furringstrips into one 24'' and two201/4'' pieces.

7. Attach furring strips (3/4''wide) to back, caulking first.

Start with 24'' piece at top.Roosting chamber will be3/4'' wide (front to back).

8. Attach front to furringstrips, top piece first (don’tforget to caulk whereverpieces meet along both topand sides). Leave 1/2'' ventspace between top andbottom front pieces.

DESIGN: - All bat houses should be at least 2 feettall and 14 inches or more wide, with a landing areaextending below the entrance at least 3 to 6 inches.• Most houses have one to four roosting cham-

bers—the more the better. Roost partitionsshould be carefully spaced 3/4 to 1 inch apart.

• All partitions and landing areas should be rough-ened.Wood surfaces can be scratched or groovedhorizontally, at roughly 3-inch intervals, orcovered with durable plastic mesh (1/8 inch or 1/4inch mesh, available from companies such asInternet, Inc. at 1-800-328-8456).

• Include vents 6 inches from the bottom of allhouses to be used where average July hightemperatures are 85º F or above. Front vents areas long as a house is wide; side vents are 6 inchestall by 1/2 inch wide.

HABITAT: Most nursery colonies of bats chooseroosts within 1/4 mile of water, preferably a stream,river, or lake. Greatest bat house success has beenachieved in areas of diverse habitat (with lots ofdifferent species present). Bat houses are mostlikely to succeed in regions where bats are alreadyattempting to live in buildings.

MOUNTING: Bat houses should be mounted onpoles or buildings. Houses mounted on trees or

metal siding are seldom used.Wood or stone build-ings with good solar exposure are excellentchoices, and locations under the eaves often havebeen successful. Mounting two bat houses back toback on poles is ideal. Place houses 3/4 inch apartand cover both with a galvanized metal roof toprotect the center roosting space from rain.All bat houses should be mounted at least 12 feetabove ground; 15 to 20 feet is better.

PROTECTION FROM PREDATORS: Housesmounted on sides of buildings or on metal polesprovide the best protection from predators.

AVOIDING UNINVITED GUESTS: Wasps caninvade bat boxes before bats fully occupy it. Use of3/4-inch roosting spaces reduces wasp use. If nestsaccumulate, they should be removed in late winteror early spring before either wasps or bats return.Open-bottom houses greatly reduce problems withbirds, mice, squirrels or parasites, and guano (batdroppings) does not accumulate inside.

TIMING: Bat houses can be installed at any time ofthe year, but are more likely to be used during theirfirst summer if installed before the bats return inspring.

KEY CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSFUL BAT HOUSES

BACK

FRONT TOP

FRONT BOTTOM

FURRING STRIPS



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9. Caulk around all outsidejoints to further seal roostingchamber.

10. Attach a 1'' x 3'' x 28''board to the top as a roof, ifdesired (optional, but highlyrecommended).

11. Paint or stain exterior threetimes (use primer for firstcoat).

12. Where will you put up yournew bat house? Ask studentsto identify criteria for goodplacement, based on whatthey know about bats.Consider: • permission to put it up,

close to a pond, stream, orlake where bats feed anddrink,

• diverse habitat thatsupplies a variety ofinsects,

• lots of sunshine to warm thehouse (at least six hoursdaily in hot climates, morein cool locations, so youngstay warm and grow fast),

• facing east, west, or south(avoiding west in exception-ally hot climates)

• on a pole or the side of abuilding),

• about 12-15 feet aboveground,

• in an open area at least 20feet away from nearesttrees or other obstacles. Foreach of these factors, askstudents to consider how it

contributes to successfulbat habitat.

13. Install your bat house andobserve it! What do youdiscover?

Assessment

✔ Write a letter to Ranger RickRaccoon at the NationalWildlife Federation aboutyour bat house, explainingwhat you learned aboutbuilding and planning yourbat house. Ask any bat-related questions you have.Be sure to use Bat Stamps onyour envelope!

✔ Design a brochure showinghow to build and where toplace a bat house.

You do not need to travel far orhave a degree in biology to helpbats. You can make a big differ-ence for bat conservation byworking on local projects. Thefollowing suggestions mayapply to your bats locally.

Actions That Everyone Can Take: ✔ Visit Bat Conservation

International(www.batcon.org or call512-327-9721) to obtainthe most up-to-date infor-mation about bats and batconservation.

✔ Encourage your family tovisit National WildlifeFederation (www.nwf.org)to learn about all kinds ofwildlife and habitat protection.

✔ Consider giving a bat lectureto local schools, naturecenters, zoos, museums, orlibraries. Slides and videos areavailable through BCI’scatalog.

✔ Write an article about batsfor your local newspaper(especially for Halloween).

✔ Help people safely removestray bats from living quar-ters. This can be done easilyby covering the bat with acoffee can when it lands andslipping a piece of cardboard

between the wall and theopening. The bat then canbe released outside. Do notattempt to handle batswithout gloves; they maybite in self-defense.

✔ Provide bats and rabies factsto local health departments,veterinarians, and personalphysicians. To obtain infor-mation about bats andpublic health issues, visitwww.batcon.org and clickon “Bats and Rabies” or call512-327-9721 to receive ahard copy of these materials.

✔ Help a neighbor, school, orcommunity center providebat habitats.

Even if you don't live in anarea with bats, there are still lots of actionsyou can take to help protectwildlife and habitat! It is important to understandwildlife before people can reallycare about their survival.Teachers and students canincrease wildlife awareness andcontribute to habitat protec-tion and restoration by:✔ Teaching a unit on habitats

and wildlife. Excitingactivity guides are availableboth through BCI andNWF. For a list of teacherreferences, visit

www.batcon.org and clickon "Reading Lists" or call512-327-9721 for a packetof materials. For NWFteacher resources, visitwww.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitats.

✔ Building a SchoolyardHabitat Site® at your schoolor Backyard WildlifeHabitat™ at your home,complete with native plants,bird feeders, bee-attractingflowers, and other food,water, shelter, and places toraise young for all your localwildlife. To find out more,visit www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitatand www.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitat. To findout what wildlife live inyour area, visitwww.enature.com.

✔ Organizing a wildlife appre-ciation day at your schooland educating otherstudents about the impor-tance of wildlife and habitat.

✔ Promoting the “look, but donot touch” approach ofrespecting wild animals.



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What You Can Do to Help Bats

For more information on batsand Backyard Wildlife Habitatprojects, check out:www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/ and www.batcon.org.

For articles and activities on allkinds of wildlife, subscribe to:Ranger Rick, Your Big Backyard,or Wild Animal Baby byvisiting www.nwf.org/kids/.

Resource Information For independent study,answering questions, andeducating others, go towww.batcon.org/discover/layout-discovery.html.

To delve deeper into specialtopics and research about bats✔ Search BATS Magazine back

Issues and access all text andphotos from BATS Maga-zine archives atwww.batcon.org/batsmag/index.html.

✔ Search bibliographic data-base of scientific literatureabout bats and browse bibli-ographic references for6,000 entries about bats andbat research atwww.batcon.org/bibsearch.html.

✔ Link to other bat conserva-tion resources and over 150different bat conservationand resource sites atwww.batcon.org/home/batlinks.html.

✔ For information on whichspecies are present in yourarea, visitwww.enature.com.

✔ Check out Bats of the UnitedStates by Michael Harvey, JScott Altenbach, and Troy L.Best, 1999. Published by theArkansas Game and FishCommission in cooperationwith the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, this 64-page color paperback bookhas large photos, range mapand descriptions for eachU.S. bat species and lots ofgeneral bat information.

Teacher and Student Activities—Free Stuff!✔ Download activities from

the “Educator’s ActivityBook” (elementary agestudents) atwww.batcon.org/topedu.html.

✔ Download an activity from“Discover Bats!” (middle-school age students) atwww.batcon.org/disco/intro.html.

✔ Download bat house plansand secrets to successful bathouses atwww.batcon.org/bhra/index.html.



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Further Resources

Documents

American Bats