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El Malpais - Bat Cave

Detailed Description

Bat Cave is the summer home for Mexican free-tailed bats. After sunset on a summer night, thousands of bats form a swirling cloud as they exit the cave. Other kinds of bats (including little brown bats, pallid bats, and Townsend's big eared bats) live here year round and hibernate in this cave and others throughout the park area (NPS, 2009b). The cave (lava tube) is closed to help protect the bats, but you probably wouldn't want to enter it anyway. The smell of fresh bat guano is very strong near the entrance of the cave.

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.

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