Trinidad and Tobago Tamana

While the daylight hours are dominated by birds the nighttime belongs to the bats. The Tamana cave on the northern slope of Mount Tamana in central Trinidad is the Mecca for bats on the island. An estimated half a million of them inhabit the cave. Their tenancy and the nutrients they bring in via their feces dominate the cave ecosystem. Their sheer numbers create heat and carbon dioxide levels which make breathing difficult for those who venture there and the walls are plastered with giant cockroaches. On the floor amid the insects live some of the largest frogs known to Trinidad. Several species of bats dwell together in this underground colony, each with its own complex social structure. At nightfall the bats exit their subterranean roost in search of food. As the light fades they pour out of the cave’s mouth. Despite their huge numbers, their speed and their closeness to each other, a sophisticated communication and navigation system prevents the collisions that seem almost inevitable as they leave to fan out over the countryside. In the course of the night they will, while feeding, perform the vital functions of pollination, insect control and seed distribution.