Difference between revisions 3379245 and 3381483 on enwiki

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<font size="+1">'''Carlsbad Caverns'''</font></td></tr>
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Some of the more unusual formations to occur in Carlsbad Cavern are [[helictite]]s, which grow seemingly without regard to gravity, their twisting shapes governed by crystal shapes, impurities and the force of water under pressure. Other rare formations are those composed not of calcite, but of [[aragonite]], a mineral chemically identical to calcite but with a different crystal structure. These formations tend to be small, delicate and needle-like.
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== Bats ==
[[Image:Carlsbad_Natural_Entrance.jpg|thumb|225px|right|The natural entrance to Carlsbad Cavern, just beyond the bat amphitheater]]

Carlsbad Cavern is a sanctuary for about 1 million [[Mexican Freetail Bat]]s. During the day the [[bat]]s crowd together on the ceiling of Bat Cave, a passageway near the natural entrance of Carlsbad Cavern. In their darkened home they are seen only by scientific researchers. At nightfall, however, the bats leave the cave in gigantic swarms. Silhouetted against the night sky like a dark, swift-moving cloud, the bats make their most dramatic display.

The Bat Cave serves as a warm weather home, as a daytime refuge, and perhaps most importantly, as a maternity roost, for Mexican Freetail Bats. The bats migrate from [[Mexico]] to Carlsbad Cavern each year to give birth and raise their young. Under cover of darkness, away from predators or disturbances, the young are born in June.

As many as six other types of bats roost in the Cavern.

The spectacular night flight of the Mexican Freetail begins with a few bats fluttering out of the natural entrance of Carlsbad Cavern. Then, in a matter of minutes, a thick whirlwind of bats spirals out of the cave up into the darkening night sky. tThe exodus can last 20 minutes or as long as 2.5 hours. Once out of the cave the undulating mass of thousands of bats flies, in serpentine fashion, towards the southeast to feed in the Pecos and Black River valleys. Once there, they begin gorging themselves on moths and other night-flying insects. Using [[echolocation]], each bat may catch and eat several stomachfuls of insects in a single night. With the coming of dawn, the bats begin flying back to the cave individually or in small groups. They re-enter th(contracted; show full)
*[http://www.nationalparks.com/carlsbad_caverns_national_park/facts.htm  Fact Sheet for Carlsbad Caverns National Park]
*[http://carlsbadcaverns.areaparks.com/parkinformation.html?content=history ''Historical Dates in the history of Carlsbad Caverns National Park and SouthEast New Mexico'']
*[http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Carlsbad-Caverns-National-Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park Pictures]