Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications It's Bat Week!  October 24-31 is an international celebration of the vital role that bats play in nature. It’s an opportunity to look at all the good things these misunderstood mammals do to keep our environment healthy—and to take action to keep THEM safe! So, let's show some bat-love for our flying (and mostly nocturnal) friends! Check out the "fingers" on the wing (a modified hand) of this Indian flying fox! Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Bats are super cool! Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly (although some other mammals “glide”). A bat’s wing is actually a modified hand—similar to yours. They also come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny, adorable bumblebee bat that weighs less than a penny to the big, beautiful flying foxes that can have a wingspan of up to six feet. Little brown bat. Photo: J.N. Stuart via Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartwildlife/4770991513/ Bats eat tons of “pests”.  It...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Indian Flying Foxes. How can you not love those foxy faces? Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo Every living creature has an important role to play in the ecosystem—a special niche that they evolved to fill. Some are very misunderstood despite the good they do, and this can lead to misconceptions that make some people fearful of nature’s most valuable players. Examples include spiders that help control insect populations and snakes that do the same for rodents. We’d like to introduce you to another often misunderstood creature—one that calls Woodland Park Zoo, home. Meet the Indian flying fox ( Pteropus giganteus )—also called the giant fruit bat. Hangin' around. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo There are more than 1,000 different species of bats found throughout the world and the Indian flying fox—which is so named for its fox-like appearance—is one of the largest. There can be some color variation, but most of these bats ar...