2025 was a big year for bats. During Bat Week, we celebrate.
10.16.25
Washington, DC (October 17, 2025) – Every year, the entire month of October is dedicated to the celebration of bats, and the culmination of that celebration is Bat Week. Annually, from October 24-31, bat lovers all over the world hold bat-themed events, add bat education to their curriculum, cook foods pollinated by bats, and share their bat fascination with friends.
This year, there’s much to celebrate. The 1500th unique bat species known in the world today was discovered on Bioko Island in Africa’s Equatorial Guinea. Pipistrellus etula was discovered by Laura Torrent, a PhD student at the BiBio Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, and colleagues, while conducting a biodiversity assessment on the island. This discovery is an important milestone for conservation and biodiversity, and shows that there is still much to learn about these amazing mammals.
The Invisible Mammal, a film about bats, their struggle to survive, and the humans who help them, was released and praised for its incredible cinematography, scientific expertise, and focus on women scientists. The film has been screened many times during the month of October, and Bat Week screenings can be found at https://batweek.org/home/event/.
During Bat Week, here’s what we’ll be celebrating (and telling our friends about):
Why Bats Are Important:
- Bats are ecological indicators, meaning their health and well-being is indicative of the health of ecosystems broadly. Bats are sensitive to disturbance, including landscape change, agricultural intensification, habitat fragmentation, and climate change.
- Bats provide a range of ecosystem services, including pollination, seed dispersal, and natural pest control, just to name a few.
- There are over 1500 bat species known on Earth, largely dispersed across six continents.
Why We Need Global Bat Conservation:
- Bats are under unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, diseases like White nose syndrome, accelerated climate change, invasive species, and other stresses.
- Without concerted international action, their populations will continue to fall, driving many species to extinction.
Why Bats Are Worth Celebrating:
- Like all creatures on planet Earth, bats are worthy of celebration just for existing.
- There are over 1500 species of bats, and all of them have unique genetic specifications that help them thrive in their environments. They’re cool and we have a lot to learn from them!
To learn more about Bat Week and how you can participate in events near you and online, visit batweek.org. Below, you’ll find quick links to some of the resources on the site.
EDUCATION: https://batweek.org/educate/
EVENTS: https://batweek.org/home/event/
VIDEOS: https://batweek.org/video/
ACTION: https://batweek.org/take-action/
About Bat Week:
Bat Week is an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.
For more information, visit batweek.org.
Media Contact: Kathryn Slater
Tel: 512.327.9721 Ext. 463
Email: [email protected]
