It's not Halloween yet, but that hasn't stopped a large colony of bats from invading the colony National Weather Service radar. A cauldron of bats - the creative catchphrase for a group of bats - appeared in Phoenix, Arizona on September 13th.
Meteorologists first thought the large flock of bats might be rain clouds. But it soon turned out that those clouds were actually Mexican bats flying en masse. The NWS tweeted an impressive animated GIF of bat madness:
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"This doesn't look like a normal shower the way it all dissolves," National Weather Service meteorologist Sean Benedict told WSMV News. "They don't really have a single direction. That's usually your initial indication that it's likely animals that are flying around."
The radar has most likely recorded footage of Mexican bats exiting a cave or tunnel and then flying around looking for insects to eat in Phoenix. It's not just a type of bat that can be seen in the Phoenix night sky, either. It is estimated that 28 species of bat can be found in Arizona.
The National Weather Service had fun on Twitter on September 14, asking followers what they thought the big crowd might be on the radar.
Alright! Some may have itched to know. Bats! In particular, it is likely thousands of Mexican bats that migrate here for the summer. More about the bats that AZ Game & Fish shares here: https://t.co/qIPV8JX3Zh
- NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 14, 2020
Bats often migrate to Arizona for the summer, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department has some pointers on where the best places to go to see bats at work if you want to check them out in person.
"Every summer, thousands of Mexican bats and canyon bats use the Maricopa County Flood Control Tunnel west of the Phoenix Country Day School soccer fields near 40th Street and Camelback Road as a rest area," according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department website.
The department also reminds people that there is no reason to fear the bats showing up, although you probably shouldn't be trying to catch or pick up a bat.
"Bats can fly around you without contact thanks to their superior navigational skills," the website says. "But nobody should pick up a bat on the ground. Like any wild animal, bats bite for self-defense. Bats pose a minor threat to people who do not handle them."