The Cueva de Los Murciélagos, one of the 60 caverns listed in the park, is the most notable since it contains major Neolithic artifacts and is globally known for its schematic and distinctive rock drawings. None leave locals and visitors in amazement as much as bats. Although they’ve been dubbed creepy, frightening, and spooky, bats are a significant species that have an impact on our daily lives that we might not even be aware of. Bats are the unsung heroes of the night, pollinating our favorite fruits, consuming bothersome insects, and inventing medical wonders. They even have a week dedicated to them in October every year. Every evening at sunset in Cueva de Los Murciélagos, between two and three million bats emerge from the bottom of a dry cenote in a bizarre whirlwind of fur and wings. One person happened to record the incredible occurrence and it looked like something out of a Halloween movie. A ritual of mating occurs in the swarm. Some bats eventually depart the swarm in couples to mate. The bats’ social cry can be heard emanating from the cave. The sound is made by bats getting to know one another. Although the females mate during the autumn swarm, pregnancy won’t occur until spring.
Dark Clouds Overhead
As the swarm flights over drivers in the area, it appears as a dense, black, cloud. Just when you think it’s going to end, more bats soar over the caves. One of Andalucia’s most significant bat colonies can be found in the cave. Two separate species of bats can be found there, one of which is protected by an EU directive. Bats are genuine flyers, in contrast to the flying squirrel, which can only glide a short distance. Picture the skin between your fingers being larger, thinner, and stretched to create a comparison between a human hand and a bat wing. Bats are nimble flyers thanks to their flexible skin membrane that spans between each long finger bone and their numerous mobile joints. There won’t always be the same bats in the swarm as the previous night. Some bats may spend one night in the cave and then leave without returning for a few days. Even in one night, bats may visit more than one cave or mine entrance. It makes you wonder how many bats are in this particular area of Mexico if millions come out of just this one cave!
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