Bats of all shapes and size for kids of all ages to print and color, along with fun and exciting games and trivia. 

Megabats cannot echolocate, except for the Rousettus fruit bats, which produce clicks with the back of their tongues.

     Organ Cave is home to thousands of bats. To date, 9 different species have been found in and around Organ Cave. Among these are three endangered species: Virginia Big-Eared, Indiana Bats and the Gray Bat; two rare species: Silver Haired and Small Footed Bats; and four common species: Little Brown, Big Brown, Northern Big Eared and Eastern Pipistrelle Bats.

     The majority of bats in the United States spend the winter months hibernating in caves, such as Organ Cave. This winter, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources conducted their annual bat count and recorded over 2400  bats in the commercial section of the cave alone.

     Hibernating bats often hang from the ceilings and walls of caves in clusters, but a solitary hibernating bat is not an uncommon sight as well. Clusters of bats may be as small as 2 or 3 bats or as large as hundreds of bats per square foot, depending on the species of bat. The bat cluster pictured above is the Indiana bat, which is an endangered species.

     Bats are very social creatures. Many species of bats are known to assist pregnant and nursing bats by gathering in clusters around these female bats. The combined body heat of the cluster helps to keep young and vulnerable bats warm and assist in their development.

       Some species of bats move to trees or into the attics of building during the summer and some bats live in caves all year round.

                           Organ Cave's Big Brown Bat

One of the most commonly found bat at Organ Cave is the Big Brown Bat, which is the largest in Organ Cave. These bats are among the most familiar bats to people in the United States, as their large size and steady flight make them easily recognized. The Big Brown Bat consumes beetles, ants, flies, mosquitoes, mayflies, stoneflies and many other insects. One hundred fifty Big Browns can devour millions of rootworms in a single growing season. They hunt insects longer into the fall than do other bats and hibernate in caves during the winter. The Big Brown Bat is commonly found throughout the United States.

While most bats catch insects in their mouth, bats can also catch insects while flying by scooping them into their tails or wing membranes. They can then reach down and take these insects into their mouth while flying. Bats drink by flying close to the surface of a body of water and gulp an occasional mouthful.

     The majority of bats in the United States eat insects, but bats in other areas of the world eat a wide variety of things. Some bats eat nectar and pollen from plants and flowers. These bats provide a valuable service to the ecosystem because they function much like bees in helping to pollinate plants. There are also bats that eat overly ripe fruit. Because the fruit these bats eat is too ripe to sell, they are not a problem for fruit growers. These bats provide a service to the ecosystem by spreading fruit seeds, which helps new plants to grow.

       A few species of bats eat fish, which they catch by flying low over water and grab the fish from the water with claws, much like birds of prey. A few species also eat meat such as mice, birds, frogs, and even other bats. 

     The most famous and misunderstood bat is the vampire bat, which is found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The vampire bat feeds on the blood of mammals and birds. These bats obtain blood by biting animals, such as cattle, with their sharp incisor teeth and lap (not suck) the blood from the wound. There is only one recorded sighting of a vampire bat in the United States. This bat was discovered in a railroad tunnel in Texas several years ago, 435 miles north of its usual home in Mexico.