From Dusk Til Dawn

Batting Around Texas

By Nola McKey

Holy Bat-mania! The interest in bats has soared in recent years, unrelated to the antics of the latest Caped Crusader. Bat-lovers gather before sunset at sites across the state to watch swarms of these mysterious creatures begin their nightly exodus. In the Capital City, bats inspired a massive, kinetic sculpture with a 20-foot wingspan that stands near the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, where a multitude of real-life bats hang out during the day. The city’s unofficial mascot has permeated popular culture so much that there’s even a festival in its honor each August, a peak time for bat-viewing in Texas.

“It’s hard to even imagine what Texas would be like without bats.” – Dr. Merlin Tuttle

Why all the fuss about these small, furry creatures? Part of the answer probably lies in ats’ reclusive nature, which piques our curiosity. But scientists have also discovered that these flying mammals are highly beneficial to humans, and the word is getting out. Bats eat mosquitoes, tons of them. And they devour an even greater number of insects that attack crops—pests like corn earworm and army-worm moth, whose respective diets include dozens of vegetables, as well as forage plants and cotton. According to Dr. Merlin Tuttle, who founded the Austin-based Bat Conservation International, bats’ voracious appetite for harmful insects results in their most important contribution. “Bats greatly reduce our reliance on pesticides,” he says. Bats also pollinate or disperse seeds for hundreds of plants, such as dates, figs, and agaves.

Setting aside the benefits to agriculture, bats eat vast numbers of night-flying insects (just as birds eat vast numbers of insects that fly during the day), helping keep nature in balance. “It’s hard to even imagine what Texas would be like without bats,” says Tuttle. “Just one species, the Mexican free-tailed bat, eats hundreds of tons of insects a night.”

Texas boasts 32 species of bats—more than any other state—as well as the site of the world’s largest bat population.

ALSO:

Bats at risk

Bat Hangouts

See the full article in the August 2009 issue.

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