Baturday News is a weekly blog written by Rachael, a soon-to-be high school student and Save Lucy volunteer. Rachael’s interest in bats was sparked by the big brown bats that used the outside of her former home for a winter roost. Rachael has been writing the Baturday News for three years.

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week! I am very excited that the Olympic Games have begun in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Our little friend, Freda, is very happy about it too. Since she is a Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat, she is looking forward to learning more about Brazil. I thought it would be nice to research Brazilian bats and I found a very interesting one.

The Greater Bulldog Bat is an amazing bat that lives in Brazil as well as the rest of South and Central America. These bats are absolutely adorable! Greater Bulldog Bats are one of the few bats that eat fish. They use echolocation to detect ripples in the water. They stick their feet in the water and catch the fish with their talons. They are able to catch over 30 fish in a single fishing trip! Because they eat fish, these bats live near rivers and streams in the rainforests. If you’d like to read more about these bats, you can read it here.

Here's some great film of a greater bulldog bat fishing. Please forgive NatGeo Wild for the alarming title!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLHUNBWR58

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll learn more about interesting bats from around the world. I hope everyone enjoys watching the Olympic Games. My hope is that these games will encourage all the people of the world to learn a little more about other countries and cultures. Let’s hope these games are able to encourage peace and understanding around the world. I would like to congratulate all the athletes who are participating in the games. I think it’s absolutely amazing that you are there!