Just in time for Halloween, October 24-31 is Bat Week.
The annual celebration of these winged mammals and their role in the environment is recognized internationally.
In California, there are 25 different species of bats. Most eat only insects, consuming between 50 and 100 percent of their own body weight each night in bugs. Because of this, they are seen as playing an important role in pest management, especially for farmers.
You can learn more about bats this weekend at the Morro Bay Library.
A representative from Pacific Wildlife Care will share information about bats and have a live bat to show the crowd.
The event is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. at the library located at 625 Harbor St.
More bat facts from the Bat Week website:
- Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly.
- Bats have good eyesight but their main technique for navigating or locating prey is echolocation.
- More than 20 different types of foods have connection to bats through seed dispersal, pollination and pest control.
Seventeen of California's bat species have some level of state or federal protection because of declining populations. One of the biggest threats to bats is a new disease called White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). Earlier this year, low levels of the fungus that causes WNS were detected for the first time in Plumas County.
WNS has killed more than six million bats in North America in the last eight years.
To learn more about WNS and how to report bats that may be suffering from the disease, visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's website.
