Views from the Photo Desk: Uncloaking the Mystery of Bats

Views from the Photo Desk is a monthly selection of captivating images from the iLCP Image Bank curated by our Visual Assets Coordinator.

Bats are one of the most mysterious and least understood groups of mammals.

Bats provide a valuable service to people – the main prey of many bat species is insects including mosquitoes, beetles, moths, and crop pests. To gain the energy needed to nurse their young, female bats can eat the equivalent of their body weight in insects each night. Having a lifespan of 5 to 20 years and raising only one pup per summer (some species have twins), bats are loyal and will return to the same roost every year.

In the nation’s capital of Washington DC, near where iLCP is headquartered, bats are monitored and inspected for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program. Washington DC is home to seven bat species and two of which are listed as either threatened or endangered. iLCP Senior Fellow, Krista Schlyer, documented theses processes to protect these ecologically important animals.

Big brown bat captured for a health inspection for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program.

Big brown bat captured for a health inspection for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program.

Big brown bat captured for a health inspection for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program.

Big brown bat captured for a health inspection for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program. Fort Dupont.

Big brown bat captured for a health inspection for Washington DC’s wildlife monitoring program.

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From all of us at iLCP we want to wish you a happy Halloween!