Volunteers and professionals were once again swarming about the entrance to Hubbards Cave near McMinnville, Tennessee. They were, The Associated Press reports, “slogging through mud, dragging steel beams down steep inclines and helping to build a 30-foot steel gate inside the mouth” of the giant cave. The goal was to replace a historic bat-friendly gate to continue protecting one of North America’s largest populations of endangered gray myotis....more

During World War II the U.S. military envisioned launching flights of armed Mexican free-tailed bats against Japan. Much more than idle speculation, the bomber-bat program was developed and tested for more than a year, and thousands of bats died for the war effort. ...more

Step through two sets of black curtains into the darkness of the Bat Jungle. Listen to the echolocation pings and social calls collected by a bat detector. Look down through vast, slanted windows into the dimly lit habitat of plants, vines and murals. Although it is daylight outside, about 40 bats of eight species are convinced it is night, their time to fly, feed, interact, explore or just hang from vines and branches....more