From this live cam you can view nearly 20 million Mexican Free-tailed bats. In the evenings they will emerge in spectacular swarms from their summer home in the Bracken Bat Cave.
More About the Bracken Bat Cave
Bracken Cave, on the northern outskirts of San Antonio, is home to the world’s largest bat colony. It houses more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Females congregate there each year to give birth and rear their young. Mexican free-tailed bats are an essential predator of corn earworm moths and other crop pests. The Bracken colony alone is estimated to consume over 100 tons of these moths every summer night.
Bat Conservation International (BCI) initially purchased the Bracken Cave in 1991 and now owns nearly 1,500 acres of the former ranchland surrounding the cave. The land lost some of its original plant and animal diversity as a result of ranching and other commercial uses. However, now it is being managed as a nature preserve and is home to many bird species, including endangered golden-cheeked warblers. They are restoring the land to its former beauty. They are also raising money to one day open this site to the public for education and research about bats. In the meantime, BCI hosts visitation nights for its members and partners during the summer months. BCI is working with The Nature Conservancy, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and other partners to ensure the protection of this amazing natural resource in Texas.
For more information about the site and how you can help, visit www.batcon.org/see-bats-live/visit-bracken-cave-preserve/.
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