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Cave Roost
Exhibit-goers investigate a cave, the favorite daytime roost of a number of bat species. Each species favors a particular kind of roost. Many bats prefer isolated, secure dwellings such as caves, tree hollows and abandoned buildings. Some species live externally, on tree trunks or in the branches of trees, under palm leaves and on the surfaces of rocks or buildings. |
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Silk Cotton Tree
These girls use flashlights to illuminate the dark hollows of a fabricated kapok, or silk cotton tree. The tree's interior reveals the hidden life of the bat inhabitants which hang out inside. |
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Gothic Portal
An imposing bat gargoyle creates a mysterious mood for two girls entering the exhibit's Gothic-style portal. The organ strains of a medieval fugue playing in the background reinforce the creepy curiosity most people have about bats when they enter the exhibit. |
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Gargoyle
The bat gargoyle above the exhibit's Gothic entry reminds visitors of centuries of myth and superstition surrounding bats. |
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I'm All Ears
Giant bat ears--nearly 20 times their actual size--give visitors the sensation of hearing the way a bat hears. A bat's own sonar system, called echolocation, uses sound as sight to help it navigate in nighttime flight. |
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Cave Hangout
The darkened interior of a kid-sized, recreated cave reveals several clusters of California long-eared bats. Some bat species roost in clusters to achieve their optimum body temperature. |
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Anatomical Comparison
A giant magnifying glass appears to enlarge a fascinating mammalian characteristic of the bat-its anatomical similarity to a human. A human-size bat skeleton alongside a lifesize human skeleton presents the striking resemblance. |
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Three Children with
Lifesize Bat Model
Three children observe the wing span of a grey-headed flying fox, one of several bat reproductions featured in the exhibit. Flying foxes are the world's biggest bats. Wing to wing, the grey-headed flying fox measures more than 4 feet. |
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Two Boys Viewing
Lifesize Bat Model
Two young boys examine a lifesize reproduction of one of the world's biggest bats, the grey-headed flying fox. This and other models provide a rare, up-close look at the physical appearance of different species. |
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Lifesize Bat Model
The lifesize reproduction of a grey-headed flying fox represents one of approximately 50 species featured throughout the exhibit. Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats-almost a quarter of all mammal species-inhabit the earth. |
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Hanging with Bats
Children learn how bats roost closely together by hanging from the metal gridwork within this recreated cave. Smaller children may access and hang (by their hands only) from the lowest points of slope, while larger children access at the higher points. |
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Bat-head Model
This bigger-than-lifesize model of a bats head gives these two children the rare opportunity to touch, as well as see, the unique facial appearance of a particular kind of bat. Similar models displayed in a recreated curator's office also present a unique opportunity for the blind. |
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