STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Bats are ecological superheroes. They feed on agricultural pests and pollinate many popular food crops including bananas, cacao, mangos, peaches and figs
- Did you know that without bats, we wouldn’t have tequila? Bats pollinate agave, the primary ingredient in tequila, which blooms at night in the Desert Southwest
- “Bats — Unsung Heroes” highlights several hotspots for bats, including the South Congress bridge in Austin, Texas, and Bracken Cave, near San Antonio, Texas
- About 20 million bats live in Bracken Cave. Each night they eat 147 tons of insects, most of which are agricultural pests
- Bats save farmers in the U.S. up to $53 billion per year