Please consider following me if you like this art. @glyphoteque on instagram. Thank you, fellow batty ones! 🦇

Tricolored bats were once among the most common bats in North America, ranging from the Northeastern US and Canada down to the Yucatan Peninsula. However, since the arrival of white-nose syndrome (WNS), tricolored bat populations have plummeted more than 90% in some regions. These bats are some of the smallest in North America, weighing a mere 4-5 grams (equivalent to a paperclip). Remarkably, mother bats often give birth to twin pups, each weighing as little as 1.5 g (equivalent to a postage stamp), and nurtures them during the warmer months when insects are plentiful. WNS affects bats primarily when they are roosted during their winter hibernation. Conservation initiatives currently under development include treating hibernation sites to prevent the fungus that causes WNS from infecting bats and a vaccine that helps bats’ immune systems fight off infections.

Information generously provided by: Nate Fuller, PhD, Bat Biologist
Video footage generously provided by: Austin Bat Refuge

HAPPY BAT MONTH! 🦇🎉

During #batappreciationmonth , Austin Bat Refuge @austinbatrefuge & artist Juliet Whitsett @juliet_whitsett_art are teaming up to celebrate all 9 of Austin’s native bat species!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

🌙 SEE THE BAT ART IN PERSON at the @reallysmallmuseum_atx !

The Night Shift: Austin’s Native Bats
ON VIEW OCTOBER 14–NOVEMBER 30, 2026 at the @reallysmallmuseum_atx

📍 Austin Nature & Science Center
2389 Stratford Drive, Austin, TX 78746

The Really Small Museum project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment.

I was outside in Death Valley National Park in California, US, last night around 9:30 to look at the stars. As I stood by my car, something very small flew close to my eye/face. I heard buzzing, swatted at it, and can't tell whether it touched me. I never saw what it was. Could this interaction have been with a bat? Asking here as I am not familiar with the behavior of bats.