Our #BatTeam is spread over two provinces - but we work together to help protect, conserve and better understand bats. #HappyBatWeek from the @wcscanada.org Western Bat Program!

Image is a close up of a Silver-haired Bat sitting on bark. Bat is dark brown with frosted white tips. Ears are rounded and a big dark eye looks out intently. The muzzle is bare and nose is tipped up slightly, mouth is closed. You can see the wings (folded) resting on the bark. Photo by Jason Headley. Inset image is Dana Blouin our program administrator-organizer-herder-of-cats. Dana says Silver-haired Bats are her favourite because they are so photogenic! (and we agree) Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program - complete with a green W with a Hoary Bat inset.

#BatTeam #FaveBat Dana Blouin manages the bat team (very patiently I might add!). Her favourite bat is the Silver-haired Bat because it is so photogenic! They are very pretty bats - and expressive too. In 2024, our director published a paper on how this bat sings! 🦇🌎🧪🦊
Song: youtu.be/FhbJwcDiQtA?...

A picture of the wrinkle-faced bat - Centurio senex. An upclose portrait of the face, which is indeed wrinkly and lacking fur. Ears are kind of yellow and fur is a grey-beige. This bat has big light-brown eyes and teeth made for squishing fruit. Inset is a photo of Jason Headley who was lucky enough to take the photo as well - which means that he met this bat in person! Text reads - The Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex) is easily one of the most bizarre and incredible bats I've ever encountered. With a retractable skin mask and a face only a mother (or a bat enthusiast) could love, it's unforgettable. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program. Jason is one of our main photographers/videographers for the program. You can find his passion for documenting creatures on his iNaturalist profile.

We asked our #BatTeam which was their favourite bat on the planet? (the hardest question to ask a bat biologist). Jason Headley picked the Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex) - which is really a fan favourite. This little south American frugivore is just neat. #BatAppreciationDay

Spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) are my favorite bat because they’re not only adorable but also full of personality. They’re social, intelligent, and have expressive faces that make them especially endearing. Unfortunately, they face numerous threats, including tick paralysis, entanglement on barbed wire fences, and extreme heat events. Protecting them is crucial, not just because they’re amazing animals, but also because they play a vital role in their ecosystems as pollinators and seed dispersers.

Image of a Spectacled Flying Fox (by Erin Low). Cute close up of the face, big brown eyes framed with "blonde spectacles" with a dark brown head. Bat is hanging upside down with his dark wings wrapped around it's body. Embedded is a photo of Erin Low holding a small blonde kitten. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program.

For Bat Appreciation Day 2025 we asked the #BatTeam what their favourite bat was and why!

Erin Low, Program Coordinator, Western Canada Bat Conservation Program - gave us this Australian species aka a "Specky" (with their own bat photo!):
#BatAppreciationDay2025

Announcing the winners of the 2024 KBA Canada Photo Contest!Close Icon White

Congratulations to our #BatTeam members Jason Headley & Lauren Pitt for being photo contest winners in the 2024 KBA contest! There are a couple of photos from bat work including one spectacular one from the Rosebud Valley. The entire list of winners can be found here:

kbacanada.org/2024/12/17/a...

😀Aren't all bats just the cutest? This is a good one though! Thanks again to our #BatTeam member Jason Headley. We are lucky to have him on board - he is an amazing photographer. 🦇❤️

Video is from our #BatTeam member Jason Headley (we are spoiled by his amazing work).

Our goal is to make everyone love bats! Welcome to the global #BatTeam - we think everyone can recruit a new friend for bats. Love to hear you are a fan!