The World of Bats

Bats are probably the most misunderstood, feared, and persecuted of all the mammals. Yet bats are shy, gentle animals that fill a vital role in maintaining balanced ecosystems throughout the world. In Florida, bats are the most important natural controller of night flying insects. In other parts of the world, bats disperse seeds, pollinate plants, provide guano for fertilizer and even vampire bats have made important contributions to science and medicine. Come and join us for an interesting and informative presentation on “The World of Bats” by Cyndi and George Marks of the Florida Bat Conservancy. The program will include a slide presentation on bats around the world, illustrating their unusual diversity, unique behaviors and benefits to humans. They will also be bringing live bats so you will be able to see some of our native Florida species.

Brief Biography of Presenters

Cynthia and George Marks have been working with bats since 1989. In 1994, they founded the Florida Bat Center (now the Florida Bat Conservancy), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bat conservation in Florida. They have co-authored the first book totally dedicated to bats in Florida. It is titled Bats of Florida and was just released August of 2006.