LIVE BRACKEN BAT CAVE WEBCAM
- Local time
- Location: Bracken Bat Cave, Comel County, Texas, United States
- Source: Explore Birds Bats Bees
- Info: Live streaming bat webcam at Bracken Cave in Texas. Bracken Cave is the summer home to the largest colony of bats in the world. In the evenings, around 20 million Mexican Free-tailed bats emerge in spectacular swarms.
More info: Bracken Cave is located in southern Comal County, Texas, outside the city of San Antonio.
In March and April, female bats return to Bracken Cave after overwintering in Mexico, Central and South America. Most males roost elsewhere in smaller groups. Towards the end of June, females give birth to a single pup.
The naked pups are left on cave walls in dense clusters called creches which are tightly packed and may exceed 400 pups per square foot. When the mother returns from hunting, remarkably, she is able to find her own pyp among millions of others, through a combination of spatial memory, vocalizations, and scent. Mothers will visit the creche to nurse often during the day and return from feeding to nurse twice at night.
After four to five weeks, the young begin learning to fly under the most difficult of conditions. Amongst other things they have to avoid collisions with other bats whilst testing out their wings and echolcation system. By late July, young bats are ready to test their flight skills outside the cave.
To find sufficient food, the bats often emerge up to three hours before sundown, creating one of the most spectacular sights in all nature, with the event spanning several hours.