Passport to Texas

Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat TPWD YouTube Channel

TPW TV: Protecting Rare Bats Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas is home to some thirty-two bat species. TPW PBS TV producer, Abe Moore, says viewers will meet one of the lesser known bats in a segment airing this month.

56— We did a story on the Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat. They’re one of the least known bats in the Southeastern United States. And the story looked at one of the largest Big Eared Bat colonies in Texas. The colony’s at the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge. And it’s in – of all places – in an abandoned mobile home that’s out in the woods. The house was abandoned 18 years ago. We were going to tear it down; we decided that we would rather keep it open for the bats, and actually keep the house in working order enough so they could use it as a roost. It’s this abandoned horror movie type of house. There are rat droppings all over the floor and spider webs everywhere. I mean, it would be the greatest set for a film. But it was the perfect home for the bats. And the refuge built these cool bat roost towers nearby for them to live in the mating season. And they’re close by, and the bats will readily move from here to the towers, depending on the temperature. That story’s going to be on Texas Parks and Wildlife television the week of May 5th through the 11th.

Thanks, Abe.

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For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.