Bats also play an important role in balancing the ecosystem. Bats eat insects, and they play a role in the ecology or general dynamics of a natural system. Rogers and groups like Bat Conservation International are working to educate the public and to protect more than 1,000 species of bat found worldwide. Bats make up the world's second- largest group of mammals, second only to rodents. Most bats navigate and communicate with an ultrasonic navigation system called echolocation, a system similar to that used by dolphins and whales.
Bats also use echolocation to identify food sources.
By sending and receiving these echolocation pulses, it can not only tell the direction, movement and size of the insect, but also the texture and shape of the insect. So it can distinguish between prey that it wants to eat versus insects that are non- palatable or not as nutritious. The echolocation calls are so precise, says BYU graduate student researcher Brent Coleman, that groups of thousands of bats can fly and hunt together. One of Rogers' goals is to educate people about bats and to dispel myths. And, contrary to popular opinion, the incidence of rabies is low in bat populations.