During summer sunsets, Austin locals and tourists alike eagerly wait near the Congress Avenue bridge. Each evening, nearly 1.5 million bats emerge from underneath the bridge to begin their nightly flight to find food, covering the orange sky with black silhouettes.
Open until August 2027, the Texas Science & Natural History Museum’s newest exhibit, “Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats,” explores bats’ role in the environment and their unique connection to Austin. Admission to the museum is free for UT faculty, students and staff.
“Our museum is about teaching about science, and … it’s important for all of our guests to learn more about the bats as an animal,” museum director Carolyn Connerat said. “It’s really important that people come here and learn (that) you don’t need to be afraid of bats and (about) all the good that they do.”
The exhibit aims to challenge many of the myths surrounding bats, such as the common misconception that most bats carry rabies and spread disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one to three people a year get rabies from bat bites, which usually occurs when the animal is being handled. Karin Akre, a science writer for Bat Conservation International, visited the exhibit recently.
“(Bats are) really important to our health, environmental health and ecosystem maintenance,” Akre said. “The exhibit does a great job of celebrating bats, helping people understand the diversity of bats and their importance to demystify them and shoot down some of those myths.”
The exhibit boasts many interactive features to help people better understand bats. Visitors can try their hand at hearing like a bat by placing oversized bat ears over their own, allowing them to hear even a whisper from across the room.
“Echolocation allows them to have a really great sense of their world, even when it’s dark, even without vision,” said Liam Norris, exhibition and outreach associate at the Texas Science & Natural History Museum. “That just gives us a very small window into what it’s like to perceive the world as they do.”
The exhibit teaches about safety and coexistence with bats, especially relevant to Austin, the so-called “Bat Capital of the World.” If someone encounters a bat on the ground, Austin Bat Refuge is available to call. People can place bat boxes or build bat gardens in their yards to give the animals a safe place to sleep and gather food.
“Bat boxes have been an incredible way to engage people in caring about bats, so they can feel like they’re participating in taking care of bats,” Akre said. “Bat boxes are a little tricky to get right though, and as we’ve learned more and more about them, we’ve learned how to design them in ways to keep bats safe.”
“Masters of the Night” also showcases lifelike bat models, highlighting the unique features of some of the over 1,500 different bat species. Norris said he hopes visitors learn more about how bats benefit the world, acting as pest control and pollinators.
“Everyone knows the slogan ‘(Keep) Austin Weird,’” Norris said. “And bats are weird, so having this cultural love and association with the bats, it’s just one of these funky things that gives our city a little more character.”
