Have you ever wondered how bats fly? Or what they do at night? Or why they get such bad press? Bats are vital elements of our ecosystems and deserve our appreciation but they face many threats worldwide. Dr. Menchaca will cover some of the most remarkable aspects of bat diversity, as well as the bat’s role in ecosystems, and in our daily lives. You will also learn how their link with disease transmission inflicts damage on their reputation. A new initiative led by young scientists in the Global South (www.globalsouthbats.org and www.tequilabat.com) is helping protect bats in the most vulnerable places on earth. Bats deserve our appreciation as vital elements of our ecosystems, but they face many threats worldwide. As a result of this talk, you will undoubtedly fall in love with bats and learn how to help conserve them.
Angelica Menchaca, is a bat conservationist and director of Global South Bats. She earned her Ph.D. at Bristol University in the UK, studying Tequila bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae). Her career has been dedicated to the conservation of animals and the use of genetic tools to answer ecological questions. Her fascination with bats, and the need to promote their conservation in the most threatened places on Earth, led her to join forces with other young scientists to develop self-sustaining initiatives to ensure the survival of bats across the Global South.