Contrary to popular belief, there are no vampire bats in Florida wearing tiny little capes and looking to drink some blood. Bats have gotten a certain image thanks in part to movies and television shows, but when you really see bats up close, they’re just tiny little odd-looking creatures who sleep during the day and feast on bugs at night. If ever you’re looking to catch a glimpse of bats in Florida—we’re talking thousands upon thousands flying into the night at dusk to eat, then head on over to the University of Florida Bat House in Gainesville.

At the University of Florida in Gainesville across from Lake Alice, you’ll find the world’s largest occupied bat houses.
Google Maps
There are a few different species of bats living in these houses, including the Brazilian free-tailed bat, the Southeastern bat, and the evening bat.
Florida Museum UF
Every night, around 15 to 20 minutes after sunset when the temperatures are above 65 degrees, the bats will swoop out of their homes and emerge to eat insects around the lake.
Flickr Giulia

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It should be noted that bats will not attack or harm people when left alone, but instead will come out on warm evenings to drink water by the lake, exercise, or snag some delicious dinner.
Flickr Tom Benson
It is estimated that within this colony exists between 450,000 and 500,000 bats, while the bat house and barn can hold up to 750,000 bats at a time.
Flickr Artie White
The very first Bat House at U of F in Gainesville was built in March 1991, but throughout the years these structures have been remodeled and rebuilt in order to accommodate the growing number of bats who call these houses home.
YouTube Florida Museum
Visitors to the Bat Houses can see for themselves all the bats emerging from the houses at night, as long as the weather and temperatures are right.
Flickr fs-phil

Thanks to the Florida Museum & University of Florida we can see for ourselves what these bat houses are all about and how hundreds of thousands of bats call this place home.

Pretty fascinating stuff, huh?

To learn more about the U of F bat house in Gainesville, visit the website here.

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Museum Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA