Baturday News is a weekly blog written by Rachael, a high school student, bat advocate, 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 over three years.

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. It’s that time of year again. You know…the time when all the little bats are a little jealous of the sharks. It’s Shark Week again! I think it’s lovely that the sharks get some attention, but wouldn’t it be nice if bats got special ice cream treats and other festive things for Bat Week?*

Now for the exciting batty news! Scientists have found Northern long-eared bats in coastal South Carolina!!! The bats were first found in Beaufort County last fall. Now they are being found in Charleston and Berkeley counties! Northern long-eared bats are mainly found in Canada and from Maine down to North Carolina. They are a federally threatened species, so finding them that far south is a happy surprise. It’s especially exciting to find them that far south because it might help the species survive White Nose Syndrome. Since the fungus affects the bats when they are hibernating, bats wintering in a nice warm climate might have a better chance of surviving. I hope so because Northern long-eared bats not only eat lots and lots of bugs, but they are adorable too.

If you would like to read the article, you can find it here.

*[The editorial staff would like to remind everyone that Bat Week does encompass Halloween, so there are treats involved! However, we are actively recruiting for a well-known athlete to race a bat 🙂 ]