At Xcaret there’s a cave housing hundreds of bats at the end of the lagoon.  Bats play a very important role in ecosystems: they spread seeds, pollinate flowers and fruit trees, regulate insect populations and control pests.  As we get to know bats, we begin to see them from a different and more positive point of view.

Bats constitute an order of flying mammals whose upper extremities developed as wings. While other mammals can glide for short distances, bats are the only mammals that can really fly and are able to see in the dark. They can live for 15 years or even more.

Most bats eat only fruits or small insects. Contrary to popular belief, they are not blind; because most of them apart form their sonar system, use their sight for different activities.

Their most interesting feature is their sonar mechanism, which allows them to perceive their surroundings and locate their preys without using their sense of smell or sight. This is called “echolocation” and it consists of emitting high frequency sounds that reflect as an echo, helping bats to know the position of objects around them.  This characteristic of being able to “see” with their ears allows bats to fly in the dark.