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Cheshire, Connecticut Paul Bunyan Muffler Man 41.5578, -72.9066 Lamb suya pairs perfectly with a multinational riff on jollof rice. Los Angeles, California Ile 34.0947, -118.3297 Here lies a rather inconspicuous memorial to the victims of persecution. Antwerp, Belgium Heksensteen 51.2208, 4.3994 [blank-f2c3] New Milford, Connecticut Gaylordsville Spite House 41.6478, -73.4829 Top Destinations View All Destinations >> Countries + Australia + Canada + China + France + Germany + India + Italy + Japan Cities + Amsterdam + Barcelona + Beijing + Berlin + Boston + Budapest + Chicago + London + Los Angeles + Mexico City + Montreal + Moscow + New Orleans + New York City + Paris + Philadelphia + Rome + San Francisco + Seattle + Stockholm + Tokyo + Toronto + Vienna + Washington, D.C. * Foods Latest Places to Eat & Drink View All Places to Eat >> Lamb suya pairs perfectly with a multinational riff on jollof rice. Ile Portions here are massive and ideally suited for sharing. Caravan Chicken Elk and bison are regularly featured on the menu. Tradish's The Ancestor Cafe South African hops add their own distinctive character to the beers here. Eko Brewery and Taproom Welcome to one of New England's most iconic diners. Casey's Diner * Stories + Recent Stories + All Stories + Puzzles + Video + Podcast Most Recent Stories View All Stories >> Yerba mate is typically sipped through a bombilla, a type of metal drinking straw, and is passed around the circle. The Ancient, Astonishing History of Yerba Mate The tomes within the gorgeous library are kept safe by bat-led pest control. In This Beautiful Library, Bats Guard the Books The more we try to keep raccoons out of our trash bins, the better they get at breaking in. Can You Outsmart a Raccoon? The vines of Cherokee Trail of Tears beans grow prolifically. How Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans Connect a Community to Its Roots * Newsletters * Sign In Join * Explore Newsletters * Sign In ----------------------------------------------------------------- Join * Places near me Random place In This Beautiful Library, Bats Guard the Books The winged residents have been lurking in the stacks since the 18th century. by Cara Giaimo August 30, 2024 In This Beautiful Library, Bats Guard the Books Copy Link Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard Pocket The tomes within the gorgeous library are kept safe by bat-led pest control. The tomes within the gorgeous library are kept safe by bat-led pest control. Hector Christiaen / Alamy Stock Photo [b3AucG5n] Wild Life Your Guide to the World's Living Wonders See More Each week, Atlas Obscura is providing a new short excerpt from our upcoming book, Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders (September 17, 2024). The 60,000 books in the Joanine Library are all hundreds of years old. Keeping texts readable for that long, safe from mold and moisture and nibbling bugs, requires dedication. The library's original architects designed 6-foot (1.8 meters) stone walls to keep out the elements. Employees dust all day, every day. And then there are the bats. For centuries, small colonies of these helpful creatures have lent their considerable pest control expertise to the library. In the daytime--as scholars lean over historic works and visitors admire the architecture--the bats roost quietly behind the two-story bookshelves. At night, they swoop around the darkened building, eating the beetles and moths that would otherwise do a number on all that old paper and binding glue. The library dates the bats' entry to the late 18th century. That's when records indicate the purchase of large leather sheets from Russia, presumably to protect the hall's desks and tables from the nightly rain of guano. Employees use the same system today, while the books themselves are behind wire mesh, says the library's deputy director, Antonio Eugenio Maia do Amaral. (The bats' tendency to pee next to a portrait of the library's namesake, King John V, is harder to address.) Although visitors tend to be very curious about the bats, library employees mostly leave them in peace to do their jobs. As such, less is known about them than you might expect, given that they live in a knowledge repository. Two types have been identified: European free-tailed bats and soprano pipistrelles, both small and nimble species. Although no one sees them hunt, it's easy to imagine them free diving from the painted ceilings and slaloming between the gilded balusters. The soprano pipistrelle, pictured here in Scotland, is one of the species that lives in the library.The soprano pipistrelle, pictured here in Scotland, is one of the species that lives in the library. Laurie Campbell / Alamy Stock Photo Their skill and discretion--rarely do you have to hush a bat--make them valuable members of the community. Maia do Amaral calls them "honorary librarians." When the Joanine's enormous wooden doors were replaced in 2015, carpenters preserved the gaps the bats use when they leave each night to drink from the river. Some speculate that previous caretakers introduced them to the building on purpose. But those who work with them now think it's more likely the bats, who value peaceful homes, found their way in on their own. After all, says Maia do Amaral, "What can you think of quieter than a library by night?" Range: Joanine Library at the University of Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugal Species: European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis) and soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) How to see them: The Joanine Library offers regular guided tours, during which you may hear a bat squeak. If you want to see one in action, your best bet is to attend one of the library's evening concerts, which occur right at the start of their dinnertime. Try to feign interest in the books, out of politeness. Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders celebrates hundreds of surprising animals, plants, fungi, microbes, and more, as well as the people around the world who have dedicated their lives to understanding them. Pre-order your copy today! [blank-f2c3] Next in series The Small but Wonderful World of Bird Memorials A statue in Maine made for a vagrant hawk offers one way to honor these fleeting visitors. Flaco fans take note. [blank-f2c3] wild life excerptsbatswildlifelibraries Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member. Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member. Using an ad blocker? We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world's hidden wonders. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Continue Using Ad-Block Support Us Keep Exploring Honduran white bats (Ectophylla alba) huddle under heliconia leaf in Braulio Carillo National Park, Costa Rica. nature The Elegant, Intelligent Architecture of Tent-Making Bats More than 20 species of these winged mammals construct tiny leaf homes with climate control and built-in security alarms. Cara Giaimo March 15, 2024 [blank-f2c3] libraries Podcast: Mafra Palace Library Bats Join us for a daily celebration of the world's most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. The Podcast Team May 19, 2021 Don't be fooled: That's no spider on the rock. nature The Impressive Trickery of Spider-Tailed Horned Vipers It's a spider! No, it's a snake! Cara Giaimo August 23, 2024 A cricket peers through a leaf hole in South Africa. nature Small Crickets Amplify Their Sounds With Savvy Engineering A little leaf hack helps their chirps reach more females. 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