Bat Conservation International 🦇
@batcon
Saving bats since 1982. Learn more at batcon.org.
How many 🐽 do you spot in this pic? Our latest blog post explores bat roosts, and how some bats prefer to keep it "cozier" than others. 🔗 https://www.batcon.org/home-is-where-the-cave-is/ 🦇 Townsend's big-eared bat 📸 Josh Hydeman
In addition to being one of the world's critical nighttime pollinators, the common blossom bat is also incredibly cute. 🥹 Weighing about 15-20 grams, they're about the weight of a AA battery, and feed mostly on nectar and pollen. 🦇 Syconycteris australis 📸 David White/ iNaturalist
Water bat versus vampire bat... who will reign victorious and proceed into the finals? Let us know your predictions in the comments! 🦇👇
If it was a competition of cuteness, this game would end in a draw! ⚽️ Who do you think is going to advance to the finals? 🦇
Belgium is certainly looking confident for the quarter final match versus Spain. 😬 Who do you think will make it to the semi-finals? ⚽️
Who's going to win the match between France and Morocco? France is the odds-on favorite, but greater mouse-tailed bats display important adaptations for living in dry, hot environments which could be an asset. 😉 ⚽️
TFW you just ate your bodyweight in agricultural pests. 🙂 Our blog post details the incredible impact bats have on pest control in rice fields, and the greater role that plays in global food security: https://www.batcon.org/global-crop-guardians/ 📸 José G. Martínez-Fonseca
Someone called 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘴 an angry cotton ball and well... the likeness can't be denied. 👀 🦇 Northern ghost bat 📸 Daniel Velasco C/ iNaturalist
We present to you a Pollinator Puppy to cap off #PollinatorWeek and combat your Sunday scaries. 💛
Why are bats such important pollinators? ↗️ Bats can fly farther than insects typically can- spreading gene diversity to many plants. 👅 Some species of bats have incredibly long tongues for slurping hard-to-reach nectar! 🦇 Their size allows them to carry more pollen than other pollinators.
Did you know that wild bananas are almost exclusively pollinated by bats? 🍌 Our latest blog post explores the incredible impact pollinating bats have around the world: https://www.batcon.org/a-world-tour-of-bat-pollination/
Cheers 🥃 to bats! Bats are the primary pollinators of agave: a source of fiber and tequila. Not only do bats help disperse agave pollen and propagate new plants. The agave nectar helps fuel the long journey of pregnant female bats as they migrate to birth their pups. A harmonious relationship 🫂
Please join us in welcoming Daphne Carlson, DVM, PhD, as our new Executive Director! We are excited to welcome Dr. Carlson and her breadth of experience as a scientist, leader, and conservationist.
Could you imagine having a tongue that's 9 feet long? 😛 That's what it's like for the tube-lipped nectar bat: a highly-specialized pollinator with a tongue 150% of its body length. One rare plant, 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴, is pollinated exclusively by this bat due to its hard-to-reach nectar!
It's #PollinatorWeek! 🌺🦇 DYK that over 500 species of flowers rely on bats as their major or exclusive pollinators? In fact, scientists believe that many groups of plants have adapted to attract bats, as they are able to carry much more pollen in their fur than other pollinators.
This is 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴. He's having a tough day; nearly formed his first thought. 🦇 Long-tongued fruit bat 📸 Charles M Francis
Who's got 2 thumbs and is feeling a bit like 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴 today? 👍🟤👍 Hmm, that might be a poor choice of words. 🤔 🦇 Thumbless bat 📸 Jennifer Barros
The Honduran white bat is the first mammalian species known to incorporate carotenoids in their skin. 💛 Their bright yellow colors come from a yellow carotenoid pigment called lutein, which is likely attained by the bat’s diet of peeled fig fruits. 🍈 📸 Rekursiv/ iNaturalist
In the field! 🔍 Last month, our team was in the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico, capturing bats to monitor for the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. 🦇 silver-haired bat (𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘴) 📷 Rachel Harper
Happy bat-watching season! Have you seen any batties this year?🦇
3 facts about fish-eating myotis for #WorldOceansDay 🐟 They are the only bats that hunt exclusively over the ocean. 👣 They have huge feet, reaching almost 15% of their total body length. 🦐 They feed primarily on lanternfish and shrimp-like crustaceans. 📸 Glenn Thompson
Join the team! If you are passionate about conserving bats and meet more than 70% of the qualifications, you are encouraged to apply. Visit batcon.org/careers to learn more and apply. 🦇
If you 🖤 bats and want to help them in your area, consider planting a bat garden! Not in California? Learn more about planting a bat garden in your area.🪻 👉https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens/
If the 🙃 were a bat... 🦇 🦇 Rodrigues fruit bat 📸 Pierrickferret, iNaturalist
While some bats drink on the wing (by lapping water with their tongues as they fly over a water source), others hydrate by wetting their bellies in a body of water, then licking it off. This is known as belly dipping -- and requires incredible precision to avoid getting water on their wings 💦