As the late springtime sun sets over the hills of Pepperwood, our research team’s work has just begun. The target of this work? Chiroptera, otherwise known as bats! Using audio recording technology, our scientists are documenting the presence of bats at Pepperwood to assess the health of bat species and their habitats. Bats are highly sensitive to environmental changes, particularly pollution, habitat loss, and disease. Because of this, they can serve as indicators of overall ecosystem health. One reason bats are so vulnerable to environmental changes is their high mass-specific metabolic rates, especially during flight, which are three to five times greater than those of non-flying mammals of similar size, like small rodents. Their rapid metabolism makes bats respond physiologically more quickly than many other species to changes in the ecosystem. Consequently, changes in their population size or activity can signal broader ecological issues. Twilight Research: Unveiling the World of Bats