UF Bat Houses

10/30/2025

Last call to name a UF bat for ! 🦇 Pick your favorite bat name by Oct. 31! Do we have a Batrick? Batdeline? Batty McBatface? Gavin? 🦇🦇🦇

You can name a UF bat by making a gift to any area on campus from now until October 31.
🦇 Find out how: https://affinitygiving.ufl.edu/campaigns/name-a-bat-2025/?appeal_id=68d5440eb584c6cbcd80ada9

Why name just one?! There are THOUSANDS of bats in the houses, so name as many as you like. We won't judge 😉

🦇 What fund? While making your gift, you can choose from a variety of causes across UF campus to support. If you choose the first listed, *UF/IFAS Bat Houses Fund*, your gift will directly support our bat houses.

Bat naming is symbolic, but the certificate is real. When you make your gift, you will be asked to specify the name you want on your bat certificate. After you make your gift, you will receive a confirmation receipt with a link to download your bat certificate.

🔸🔹 If you want to visit the famous bat houses on the University of Florida campus, here are the tips and FAQs you need to have the coolest evening: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

10/27/2025

Luna? Batrick? Batty McBatface? 🦇 Name a UF bat for until Oct. 31! 🦇🦇🦇

You can name a bat by making a gift to any area on campus from now until October 31.
🦇 Find out how: https://affinitygiving.ufl.edu/campaigns/name-a-bat-2025/?appeal_id=68d5440eb584c6cbcd80ada9

Why name just one?! There are THOUSANDS of bats in the houses, so name as many as you like. We won't judge 😉

🦇 What fund? While making your gift, you can choose from a variety of causes across UF campus to support. If you choose the first listed, *UF/IFAS Bat Houses Fund*, your gift will directly support our bat houses.

Bat naming is symbolic, but the certificate is real. When you make your gift, you will be asked to specify the name you want on your bat certificate. After you make your gift, you will receive a confirmation receipt with a link to download your bat certificate.

🔸🔹 If you want to visit the famous bat houses on the University of Florida campus, here are the tips and FAQs you need to have the coolest evening: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

10/16/2025

Of course you love bats and want to help them thrive! Our friends at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have some suggestions 🦇🦇🦇

It's estimated that bats 🦇 save farmers, ranchers, and gardeners billions of dollars 💰 each year by naturally controlling agricultural pests.

Want to attract more to your property?

Build them a house 🏠 https://go.ufl.edu/bathouse

10/15/2025

Plan your visit 🦇🦇🦇 You might be on campus to see some gators, but you should check out the bats, too! 🔸🔹

Welcome to the world’s largest occupied bat houses. The most common species living in these bat houses is the Brazilian free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis. All of the bat species that live in Florida are insectivores, meaning they eat a lot of moths, flies, wasps, ants, mosquitoes and more.
About the bat houses: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

The two bat houses are located on the University of Florida campus in an open field on the north side of Museum Road across from Lake Alice. 🦇🦇🦇🦇

Visitors are welcome to observe the bats emerging in the evenings seven days a week. Arrive before sunset to find a spot to observe the bats. They normally emerge 15-20 minutes after sunset.
More info to plan your visit:
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/visit/

10/12/2025

Name a UF bat for ! 🦇🦇🦇 Do you lean towards food names (cannoli?) or serious human names (Cuthbert?)? Have a clever pun that'll keep us chuckling all week?

You can name a UF bat by making a gift to any area on campus from now until October 31.
🦇 Find out how: https://affinitygiving.ufl.edu/campaigns/name-a-bat-2025/?appeal_id=68d5440eb584c6cbcd80ada9

Why name just one?! There are THOUSANDS of bats in the houses, so name as many as you like. We won't judge 😉

🦇 What fund? While making your gift, you can choose from a variety of causes across UF campus to support. If you choose the first listed, *UF/IFAS Bat Houses Fund*, your gift will directly support our bat houses.

Bat naming is symbolic, but the certificate is real. When you make your gift, you will be asked to specify the name you want on your bat certificate. After you make your gift, you will receive a confirmation receipt with a link to download your bat certificate.

🔸🔹 If you want to visit the famous bat houses on the University of Florida campus, here are the tips and FAQs you need to have the coolest evening: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

10/09/2025

As you may know, the University of Florida is home to one of the world’s largest occupied bat abodes. The original bat house was built in 1991 and the bats took up permanent residence in the house in January 1995. Since then, two news houses were built and the original house was removed ahead of a hurricane for the safety of the bats.

The bat house structures were built specifically for this site and for a large number of bats to inhabit. The project to build and maintain the bat houses is a cross-campus partnership with a lot of expert help from supporters.
🦇 Learn more about our bat houses and how to visit them: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

Name a UF bat for ! 🦇🦇🦇

You can name a UF bat by making a gift to any area on campus from now until October 31.
🦇 Find out how: https://affinitygiving.ufl.edu/campaigns/name-a-bat-2025/?appeal_id=68d5440eb584c6cbcd80ada9

🦇 What fund? While making your gift, you can choose from a variety of causes across UF campus to support. If you choose the first listed, *UF/IFAS Bat Houses Fund*, your gift will directly support our bat houses.

10/03/2025

Name a UF bat for ! 🦇🦇🦇

You can name a UF bat by making a gift to any area on campus from now until October 31.
🦇 Find out how: https://affinitygiving.ufl.edu/campaigns/name-a-bat-2025/?appeal_id=68d5440eb584c6cbcd80ada9

🦇 What fund? While making your gift, you can choose from a variety of causes across UF campus to support. If you choose the first listed, *UF/IFAS Bat Houses Fund*, your gift will directly support our bat houses.

Whether you choose something spooky, silly, or downright clever, your bat’s name will live on with an official digital certificate — a one-of-a-kind keepsake that celebrates both your creativity and UF’s most famous residents.

Bat naming is symbolic, but the certificate is real. When you make your gift, you will be asked to specify the name you want on your bat certificate. After you make your gift, you will receive a confirmation receipt with a link to download your bat certificate.

🔸🔹As you may know, the University of Florida is home to one of the world’s largest occupied bat abodes.
🦇 Learn more about our bat houses: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/

09/22/2025

Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind, and many species see quite well. Because they are active at night, bats are adapted for seeing in dim light. Even in complete darkness, bats are agile, highly maneuverable fliers because they use sound waves to detect objects (echolocation). This helps bats to be very skillful flyers in the dark and to hunt successfully for food. 🦇🦇🦇

Learn more about bats with MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife:
🦇

Bats in Florida

09/20/2025

Plan Your Visit 📍 The two bat houses are located on the University of Florida campus in an open field on the north side of Museum Road across from Lake Alice.

Visitors are welcome to observe the bats emerging in the evenings seven days a week. There are no staff onsite or facilities available. It is FREE to visit.

🦇 Best time: Arrive before sunset to find a spot to observe the bats. They normally emerge 15-20 minutes after sunset.

🦇 Parking: There is a free parking lot adjacent to the field where the bat houses are located. All parking on campus has clearly marked signage for when and where you can park.

🦇 Safety: Do not walk under the bat houses. NEVER pick up a bat you find on the ground.

More info to help plan your visit:

The two bat houses and informational signage are located on the University of Florida campus in an open field on the north side of Museum Road across from Lake Alice. Visitors are welcome to observe the bats emerging in the evenings seven days a week. There are no staff onsite or facilities availab

09/17/2025

Bats in Florida roost anywhere they find good shelter. 🦇 Some species prefer to sleep alone or in small groups, while others like to be a part of a large colony. While some colonies live in caves, those are not common throughout Florida so they often find shelter in man-made structures like buildings and bridges. Solo or small groups roost in tree cavities, undersides of branches and palm fronds, in Spanish moss, on utility poles and in sheds or houses.

🦇 Five Facts: Bats in Florida
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/five-facts-bats-in-florida/
🦇🦇🦇🦇

First of all, there are no vampire bats in Florida! And bats are not rodents. They are in their own order, Chiroptera, which translates to "hand-wing," and most people are surprised to learn that the bone structure of a bat wing is nearly identical to a human hand. Bats are also the only mammals tha

05/29/2025

People ask us about backyard bat houses a lot!

05/27/2025

“By mid-summer, we basically doubled whatever number was in there before that, because you have a mom with a pup,” she said. “Then by the end of the summer all those pups start flying, so then that's when the emergence is the most spectacular.” Shelly Johnson and more via WUFT News:

The UF bat houses' population dropped to less than 100,000 bats. Experts say the bats population are recovering, and mating season could help restore the population to its normal levels of about 450,000 to 500,000 bats.