The Grand Rapids Public Museum is getting into the spooky spirit with a brand new exhibit showcasing Halloween's mascot animal, bats.
Bats: Masters of the Night reveals the truths and breaks the myths of these small creatures. Often thought of as blood-sucking, squeaky creatures that get caught in your hair, the exhibit explains how bats are actually gentle, beneficial animals.
In the exhibit, visitors will experience lifelike models, multisensory interactive displays, and environmentally lifelike settings, like entering the exhibit through a Gothic castle, to set the scene for an up-close look at these mammals in their natural habitats.
A hands-on display will showcase the evening activities of bats, such as echolocation (sonar ability), pollination, diet, and flight. In a demonstration of echolocation, visitors can use a joystick to maneuver a bat model in search of food using a laser to simulate sonar. In a visit to a bat nursery, visitors learn how caring bat mothers are by using sound to help the mother bat find her baby.
Bats: Masters of the Nightopens to the public on September 18. This exhibit is included with general admission tickets to the museum.
To purchase tickets or to learn more, visit grpm.orgor call 616-929-1700.
