NaturallyScott
At least once a week, I’ll bring you the very best of America’s spectacular world of nature — from birds to mammals, to reptiles and amphibians. From soaring mountains to endless plains, from rugged coastlines to rivers and streams.
Each episode will feature an expert guest — a ranger, a researcher, a birder, or an adventurer — someone who has seen what we want to see and been where we want to go.
NaturallyScott
E15 Fran Hutchins – Bracken Cave, Batnados & The World’s Largest Colony! 👉
Bracken Cave Preserve outside San Antonio is home to 15–20 million Mexican free-tailed bats, the largest bat colony on Earth and the densest concentration of mammals in the world. Fran Hutchins of Bat Conservation International joins Scott Harris to share the astonishing story of Bracken Cave — from batnados spiraling into the sky, to flesh-eating beetles deep inside the guano-filled cavern, to how these bats save farmers millions of dollars each year in natural pest control.
We dive into the magic of watching millions of bats emerge at sunset, the cave’s 10,000-year history, and why bats are critical pollinators and seed dispersers across the globe. This episode is a rare look at one of nature’s greatest spectacles and why protecting these animals means protecting ecosystems everywhere.
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