You’ve never seen bats like this

“They bring bad luck.” “They get stuck in your hair!” Let’s face it: bats have a bad rap. And vampire bats have the worst reputation of all — as creepy, bloodthirsty creatures who are always on the hunt for humans to feed on. In reality, they’re intriguing creatures that look out for one another, and they’re full of surprises. For example, did you know vampire bats can walk on all fours? They can even run! In the heart of Belize, bat scientists descend upon the more than 3,000-year-old Mayan ruins of the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve every year for “Bat-a-thon,” a two-week field study where 70 to 80 scientists study most of the 45 species that live there. In the documentary Empire of Bats, Anthony Morgan joins in on Bat-a-thon to discover what we can learn from these furry flyers. (Key art image: Brock Fenton) 00:00 Lamanai Mayan ruins, Belize 02:28 Different types of bats! 03:18 Weird things bat scientists do for research at Bat-a-thon 06:09 Bats can thrive on extreme sugar diets 10:50 How to identify different species of bats? 12:12 How long do bats live and reproduce? 19:14 Diets of bats & Secrets of bat wings 27:58 Catching a Vampire Bat 31:38 Bat superpowers: walking sideways, swimming and more? 34:31 Anthony goes into the bat cave Title: Empire of Bats (The Nature of Things, Season 65, Episode 1, (2025)) Director: Christine Nielson • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • More Shows: https://bit.ly/WatchMore_CBCDocs Stay Connected: Facebook: http://bit.ly/CBCDocs-Facebook Instagram: http://bit.ly/CBCDocs-Instagram