This 1,700-square-foot space is an exact replica of St. Clair's Cave in Jamaica. The cave contains more than 800 plastic models of more than 20 species of bats. Visitors can take a multi-sensory journey here.
Outside of the cave, you can touch a model of a bat's wing. Bats’ wings are modified hands. Bats have five fingers. The skin stretched between their fingers forms long, narrow wings that help them flap, glide and fly quickly through the air. Most bats also use echolocation to navigate in complete darkness.
Entering the cave itself, the light dims dramatically. Orange floor lights reveal a path for you to follow. Among the cave’s twists and turns are highlights that replicate bat life. The bats appear as small furry brown lumps and cluster together in recesses and hang from the ceiling as they roost and groom each other during the day.
In the center of the cave on the right is a large cavern. This is the Grotto display. Model bats hang overhead, its brown wings stretched upward as if in flight. The floor of the grotto is covered in imitation guano. The projection shows a shimmering expanse of cockroaches feasting on the delicious poop.
Walk about three more steps to the left and you'll pass the nursery, where mother bats fold their wings over their little pink, bald baby.
Near the exit of the cave, strobe lights pulse and fans blow across bats hung from the ceiling, their wings lifted in flight. In Jamaica, thousands of bats take flight all at once, leaving the cave in search of their evening meal, while wild cats, snakes and other predators lurk near cave entrances, hoping to prey on bats as they exit the cave.
Today's bats face greater threats than cat claws. Habitat loss, disease and climate change are killing bats in large numbers. Despite their reputation, bats are an important part of the world's ecosystems. They eat insects, disperse seeds and pollinate flowers during their journeys. Bats have also inspired many scientific advances for humans.