The University of Wyoming has been expanding opportunities to get out in the state for bat walks. This summer, the Biodiversity Institute has been hosting guided walks in Pinedale, Cody, Lander, Sheridan, Casper and Laramie.
Project Coordinator Mason Lee said the reason they’re so popular is because of how cool bats are.
“I'm like, wait, bats sing songs like birds do? That's crazy! Bats can learn language like humans do? They learn to babble? That's wild!” Lee said. “They're just such cool animals, and just getting to share a snippet of that with people, making them realize, ‘Oh, they're not this scary, evil creature that I've kind of thought they are. They're a really fascinating animal.’”
There are over 20 species of bats in Wyoming, many under threat due to ecosystem loss and disease.
“Bats are absolutely vital to functioning, healthy ecosystems because every ecosystem that bats occur in, they're super vital components of it,” Lee said. “In Wyoming, all of our bats are insectivorous, so they all eat insects, and a lot of the insects that they eat are agricultural pests.”
On the tours, she brings along an echometer to help hear the sounds bats make that fall outside the frequency of the human ear.
You can still sign up to attend the Aug. 14 event happening in Casper at 8 p.m. at the Wyoming Game and Fish Office.
