Day 19 of #SculptJanuary19: Obscure (Bat Facts)

Some bats hibernate in caves through the cold winter months and can survive freezing temperatures, even after being encased in ice. © Ethan Inlander Most bats have only one pup a year, making them extremely vulnerable to extinction. Bat mothers can find their babies among thousands or millions of other bats by their unique voices and scents. © Merlin Tuttle Bracken Cave Bats Bat droppings, called guano, are one of the richest fertilizers. Bat guano was once a big business. Guano was Texas's largest mineral export before oil! Austin is a seasonal home to North America’s largest urban population of Mexican free-tailed bats, which live beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. Approximately 1.5 million bats reside there! Elsewhere in Texas, the Conservancy and partners have protected the largest colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in the world from a proposed housing development. © Karine Aigner Source: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/arizona/stories-in-arizona/top-10-bat-facts/