Today we went to the caverns and bat show. This time I walked from the caverns up the natural entrance and Jean walked around the big room.
We went to the bat show it was very different this time. We learn a lot of numbers and only saw a few bats. The bat show started at 5:30 p.m. and the bats did not start out until 6:40 p.m. They came out of the caverns just clearing the top edge of the opening and they all headed southeast. It was pretty dark by 6:50 and by 7:00 we could not see any bats however we could still hear them.
We did get a lot of numbers:
793,000 most bats counted during a 2005 bat count
64,000 least counted that year
This year most of the bats left during July, very dry month at Carlsbad and the bats went other places, however they have returned.
They can fly to 10,000 feet, they go to this elevation because the moth they eat will go this high.
Come out of the caverns at a rate of 10-12,000 a minute.
Fly at 25-30 miles per hour
Can live up to 25 years.