Caves provide bats with a shelter where they can sleep or hibernate with minimal disturbance. Hanging from high ceilings and walls, bats are beyond the reach of most predators but also able to immediately launch into flight if needed. Large caves provide space for whole colonies to roost side-by-side, conserving energy.
Caves’ stable temperature and humidity conditions are also ideal for hibernation. Bats typically change roosts throughout the year to match their needs when foraging, raising offspring or hibernating. Not all bats live in caves, though; many species roost in trees and others have adapted to living in barns, houses, tunnels and bridges.
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