If you’re a reporter, or just bat curious, look no further. We’ve compiled our most intriguing bat facts, stats, photos, and info for your reading enjoyment.
Media Inquiries
If you’re a member of the media and have questions about bats and/or BCI, please contact: Kathryn Slater at [email protected] or call 512.327.9721 Ext. 463.
About Bat Conservation International
Who we are
Bat Conservation International (BCI) exists to secure a future where bats, people, and ecosystems thrive together. We are the only globally active organization dedicated solely to protecting bats and their habitats, with conservation projects to save bats on six continents.
What we do
We protect bat populations around the world through deploying initiatives targeting some of the most vulnerable bat species on the planet, delivering critical research that builds tools and strategies to ensure bats’ survival, preserving and restoring habitats crucial to bats, and inspiring future generations through enriching bat experiences.
Why bats?
Bats represent 20% of all mammal species. With more than 1,500 species, research continually reveals more about bats’ stunning diversity, remarkable adaptations, social and cognitive complexity, and the myriad ways they benefit us all.
Bats deliver outsized benefits to people and nature:
- Natural pest control Bats save U.S. agriculture an estimated $23 billion annually by reducing crop damage and pesticide use.
- Pollination Bats pollinate critical crops and valuable timber species, sustaining food systems and livelihoods.
- Forest regeneration Fruit-eating bats disperse seeds that drive reforestation, biodiversity recovery, and employment.
Yet more than one-third of bat species are threatened or in decline due to threats like habitat loss, disease, and climate change. Protecting bats is not only an ecological imperative—it is a high-leverage investment in climate resilience, food security, and healthy ecosystems.
BCI At-a-Glance:
- Global reach, working in 21 countries on 6 continents
- Founded in 1982
Quick Bat Facts
- Bats have been on Earth for over 50 million years!
- More than 1,500 species of bats account for about 20% of all mammal species – making bats the second largest group of mammals in the world.
- Bats are the only mammal capable of true flight (flying squirrels don’t really fly!).
- For their body size, bats live longer than any other mammal (on average, 3.5x longer than similar sized mammals). The world’s longest-lived mammal for its size is the Brandt’s myotis of Eurasia — some of these bats are known to live longer than 40 years.
Bat Benefits
- Globally, bats provide vital ecosystem services in the form of insect pest consumption, plant pollination, and seed dispersal, making them essential to the health of global ecosystems.
- Each night, bats can eat up to half their body weight in insects.
- Scientists have estimated insect-eating bats provide more than $23B in agricultural and human health savings for the planet every year.
- Bats protect crops from pests, like corn, rice, and sugar; disperse seeds of figs and many subtropical fruits; and pollinate flowers of guava, durians, and the agave used to make tequila!
- Bat poop, called “guano” is a valuable natural fertilizer high in nitrogen and was used to manufacture black gunpowder during the Civil War.
Misconceptions
- Bats aren’t blind and don’t get entangled in human hair.
- There are only 3 bat species out of more than 1,500 that drink blood.
- Common vampire bats are social creatures who share food with less fortunate roost mates who are hungry. Vampire bats know that sharing is caring!
- Researchers are studying an anticoagulant found in vampire bat saliva as a possible treatment for human stroke patients.
- Like many wild animals, bats can carry rabies. The vast majority of bats are healthy, do not have rabies, and pose no risk to people. You should never handle any wild animal you find on the ground or that is acting unusual.
Risks to Bats
- Bats are exceptionally vulnerable to extinction, in part because they are among the slowest-reproducing mammals on Earth for their size; most North American species only produce one pup per year.
- Human activities threaten bats in many way. From habitat destruction and degradation to direct persecution to hunting bats for bushmeat, global bat populations face threats from humans.
- White-nose syndrome is a disease caused by a non-native fungus that infects bats and wakes them up during hibernation. This process uses a lot of energy at a time when there is no food, resulting in starvation and dehydration. It is decimating bat populations of multiple species, putting many species at risk of extinction in North America.
Bats & Human Health:
Bracken Cave, Outside San Antonio, TX:
- Home to 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats, Bracken cave is the world’s largest bat colony, and one of the largest concentrations of mammals on earth.
- The best viewing season for Mexican free-tailed bats in Central Texas is from the end of May, through the end of September.
- Due to the shape of the cave, the bats spiral out each night at dusk in the shape of a tornado, and it takes up to 4 hours for them to empty out the cave.
- They eat up to 147 tons of insects nightly, saving the region’s cotton growers around $740,000 every year in pesticide and crop damage costs.
- The bat’s nightly emergence attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually to Congress Avenue Bridge, bringing an estimated $10 million in eco-tourist dollars to Austin, Texas.
- Even in huge colonies where millions of baby bats cluster at up to 500 young per square foot, mother Mexican free-tailed bats find and nurse their own baby.
Key Staff
Winifred Frick, Ph.D. – Chief Scientist
Dr. Winifred Frick serves as our Chief Scientist and leads scientific research that informs our evidence-based approaches to conservation. She is responsible for integrating science and conservation at Bat Conservation International to achieve lasting impact for bats around the world.
Dr. Frick has more than 20 years of experience studying bat ecology and conservation biology. She has published more than 80 scientific research papers and is a recognized global expert on bat ecology and conservation. She directs high-priority research and development of scalable solutions for achieving meaningful conservation outcomes for bats, including research on the threat of climate change, the disease White-nose Syndrome, and contributing conservation evidence to protect bats globally.
Dr. Frick is an Associate Adjunct Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received her Ph.D. from Oregon State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies.
Email: [email protected]
Kevin Pierson – Chief of Conservation & Global Strategy
Kevin Pierson is the principal conservation leader, manager, and planner for Bat Conservation International (BCI). He is responsible for the vision, oversight, planning and implementation of a comprehensive conservation program that charts a path for growth in BCI’s conservation impact and global conservation reach.
Kevin comes to BCI with over 15 years of extensive nonprofit experience as a conservation strategist, fundraiser, and advocate. Kevin is an inspirational leader with strong expertise in identifying and implementing steps to achieve BCI’s mission including clarifying ideas into fundable programs, raising funds, and managing for results.
Email: [email protected]
Fran Hutchins – Director, Bracken Cave Preserve
Fran has been with Bat Conservation International since 2006, directing educational bat flight programs and the restoration work on BCI’s Bracken Cave Preserve and working with Central Texas landowners protecting other bat roosts. His work at the preserve protects the largest colony of bats in the world.
He is often asked to speak at various events, sharing his passion for informing the public about bats. This extended’s to schools, zoos, Scouts and organizations from around the world. He has been featured on Texas Country Reporter, Travel Channel, several documentaries as well as Texas Highway Magazine.
In 2013 he was recognized by the US Forest Service for Wings Across the Americas / BatsLIVE education program.
Fran is also a Caver and Texas Master Naturalist and Eagle Scout.
Kathryn joined Bat Conservation International in January of 2023. As part of the Engagement team, she works to bring the importance of bats and the work of BCI to the masses, tapping into over 15 years of experience in communications and creative direction.
Prior to BCI, she worked in the world of brand design, honing skills in copywriting, brand strategy, art direction, and project management. With a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology and a master’s degree in urban planning, Kathryn is not only savvy in communications and marketing, but also brings a deep understanding of the natural world, and a desire to educate people about the ecosystem services it provides.
Kathryn grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where she spent her undergraduate days studying prairie grasses and ornithology. Today, she lives in western Massachusetts, where she spends her free time hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cooking for friends.
Mylea Bayless leads our Network & Partnerships Division with more than 20 years of experience in building collaborative teams for conservation, research, and wildlife management. She has been integral to our mission for more a decade leading the conservation team in the U.S. and Canada.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The wisdom of this African proverb defines her approach to conservation. A life-long student, she is thrilled to be focusing her natural affinity for people to develop strategic partnerships that will grow our impact around the world.
Bayless joined BCI in 2006, with a career portfolio including State and Federal agency service and academic research. Including bats, her research background includes a variety of wildlife (including spotted owls, bald eagles, American pronghorn, Merriam’s turkeys, and Rocky Mountain elk). She holds degrees from Colorado State University (B.S., M.S.).
Email: [email protected]
Image Library
The following images are available for use by the media in high resolution. All images must be credited to the appropriate photographer and include the caption: “Photo courtesy of Bat Conservation International”.
Jonathan Alonzo
Micaela Jemsion, Bat Conservation International
Michael Durham Minden Pictures
Melquisedec Gamba-Rios, Bat Conservation International
Amanda Stronza, Bat Conservation International
Dustin Smith, Bat Conservation International
Michael Schirmacher, Bat Conservation International