Bats

Hundreds of bats used to live in Ape cave. Now only a few remain. They don't like the light and noise that people bring. Townsend's big-eared bats use Ape Cave for summer roosting. They are sensitive to light and noise, and try to avoid people. You may see one flying by if you explore the cave.

• Will not become tangled in your hair.
• Use sonar to find their way in the dark.
• Can "see" with sound as clearly as we see with our eyes.
• Have keen eyesight and can find their way in the light.
• Can live for up to 30 years.
• The females give birth to one baby every year or two.

Bats eat thousands of insects each day. They help keep the ecosystem in balance.

If you find a bat roosting, please leave it alone. It presents no danger to you if left alone, but it could bite if handled. The population of big-eared bats in the Pacific Northwest has decreased nearly 80% in the last thirty years. Part of this decrease is because people interfere with the bats. Biologists at Mount St. Helens are taking steps to help the bats survive, and the bat population has begun to increase.