CELEBRATE BATS during INTERNATIONAL BAT WEEK and during The Whole Year

 

Bat Week is an annual international celebration of the important role of bats in nature. While we often think about bats during the weeks before Halloween, we need to be aware of their critical role in the ecosystem during the whole year. You can learn more at the Bat Week website. 

You can also learn about bats in my book BAT (Morrow Junior Books, 1996) illustrated with close-up photographs by Richard Hewett, now available as a digital book on Amazon.There are more than 950 species of bats in the world today. This book focuses on two species of bats found commonly in the United States--the big brown bat and the Mexican free-tailed bat.

Bats play an essential role in the balance of nature-eating millions of insect pests nightly and pollinating hundreds of different types of plants. Yet unfounded superstitions and fear, plus the destruction of their habitats, are endangering many species of bats the world over. The clear text and forty up-close full-color photographs highlight bats' unusual physical characteristics and present a fascinating view of their day-to-day life and behavior.

Learn some cool facts about bats and other animals in this issue of the National Geographic newsletter.