The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

When the sun sets, a predator with an insatiable appetite takes to the sky. Bats! They haunt the night, slicing through the air to quench their hunger for blood-sucking pests.

These spooky winged creatures frighten, scare and send shivers down our spines. But a world without bats would be a truly frightening place.

Imagine being swarmed by insects and bitten by mosquitoes from head to toe. Imagine pests wiping out agriculture across the country, causing produce prices to go up.

If the decline of bats continues these scary scenarios could be our reality.

We need these spooky, fast-flying mammals that can eat 1,200 insects in an hour, protecting us from the West Nile Virus and other deadly diseases.

The Incredible Disappearing Bat

Right now, bats are vanishing. White-nose syndrome alone has claimed the lives of a million bats across 19 states in five years. More than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered.

Energy development, loss of habitat and a water shortages also contribute to what’s being called one of the worst wildlife declines this century.