Every month, the Smithsonian Bat Lab hosts Bat Night / Noche de Murciélagos, an outreach event that is free and open to the public. You can join us in the rainforest to see how we untangle bats from mistnets, and visit Smithsonian's Gamboa Laboratory, where we discuss our current research. You'll have a chance to see the rich biodiversity of the tropics, and take a look at a variety of different bat species up close. We discuss the species' different wing shapes, facial structures, and foraging adaptations. We talk about the critical roles bats play in the ecosystem, and how important it is to conserve them. The event is fully bilingual, conducted in both English and Spanish. If you're in Panama, and you want to learn more about these phenomenal night creatures, come join us!
To register for this free event, sign up here! Please keep in mind - Bat Nights are extremely popular. Because we are a small volunteer group, we can only accept 100 participants per Bat Night. If the next Bat Night is full, please sign up for another one! You can register several months in advance:
All kinds of fun bat goodies are for sale at Bat Night. Proceeds from bat stickers and shirts support student fellowships through the Kalko Fellowship Fund for the next generation of tropical bat researchers. Proceeds from DINALAB's upcycled keychains, earrings, fidget spinners, and more support the APPC Animal Rescue fund.