They then return to the hibernacula in the Ozarks where they mate during the winter. Many bats do not survive. Many of the young die on the floor of the cave as a result of falling off of the cave wall. Many more are killed by cars, pesticides, and vandalism. Since 1980, over 80 percent of the Indiana bat population has disappeared.
Bats help keep the ecosystem healthy.
A nine-gram adult Indiana bat usually eats its weight in insects in a day. The springs and caves contain 17 salamander habitats, including three of the cave salamander. The springs provide aquatic habitats in an otherwise dry upland environment. Several springs feed lowland wetlands. Amazingly, Holnam's consultants found no threatened or endangered species on this huge tract of land.