At dusk, a park ranger leads a nervous visitor into a damp limestone cave to see thousands of bats wake up.
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Welcome! You're just in time. The sun's about to set.
Um, hi. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous.
Oh? Is it the dark, or the bats?
Both, honestly. Don't bats get tangled in your hair?
That's just a myth. They're far too skilled for that.
Here's your torch. Its red light won't disturb the bats.
Whoa, it's suddenly so cool and damp in here!
Caves stay at roughly the same temperature all year.
What's that dripping sound? It's coming from everywhere.
That's water seeping through the limestone above us.
Oh wow, look at those icicles on the ceiling!
Those are stalactites. They're formed by dripping water.
They grow incredibly slowly, over thousands of years.
Thousands of years? Then I'd better not touch them!
Please don't. Even the oil from your fingers harms them.
Now, shine your torch gently up at the ceiling.
Oh no... is that whole dark patch moving?
Those are bats, thousands of them, just waking up.
Thousands? What if they fly straight at us?
They won't. They find their way by echolocation.
Echolocation? So bats really are blind, then?
Not at all! That's another myth. Most bats see quite well.
They just use sound to hunt in the dark.
And what are they hunting? Not people, I hope!
Ha, no! Insects. One bat can eat hundreds in a night.
Really? So they're basically free pest control!
Listen... can you hear that rustling? Here they come!
Oh my gosh! They're pouring out like a river!
And they're whizzing right past us without touching!
See? Not a single one has bumped into you.
That was incredible. I can't believe I was scared.
Most people leave as bat fans. You're no exception.
Ha, I'd still rather not find one in my hair, though.
Fair enough! Come back in summer to see the babies.
I'd love that! Count me in!
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