Museum bat 'cave' enlightening

The first time you crawl into the man-made cave at the Utah Museum of Natural History, you might not notice the bats. It will be pretty dark.

(By the way, there are two openings to the cave. You are welcome to walk in through an adult-size slot. Real spelunkers, however, can prove their valor by crawling in through a tunnel.)

Inside there will be bats above your head. (They're freeze-dried, not live ones.) Tim Lee, designer of "The Dark Zone" exhibit, said your eyes will gradually become accustomed to the dark and your ears will gradually become attuned to the subtle sounds. You will hear water dripping. You'll hear bats squeaking their little squeaks.

As your eyes adjust, you might spot the bats. You definitely will notice formations of actual limestone displayed within the walls.

You will walk through the cave and come out into an exhibit room. There you'll learn about cave geology and safety. You can try on caving equipment. You can look through a microscope and see some cave lice. Then you will be given a flashlight and a field guide and you can go back into the cave to explore again.

The museum staff partnered with the staff of Timpanogos Cave National Monument to design "The Dark Zone: Discovering Utah Caves." The exhibit came about as an accompaniment to a traveling exhibit that the museum acquired from the Smithsonian Museum, Lee explained. Both "The Dark Zone," and the Smithsonian's "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness," open Saturday. On the opening day, Tom Harridon, director of Zion National Park, will talk at 1, 2 and 4 p.m. about how bats behave.

Bats are only part of the story of caves, of course. Lee hopes museum visitors will discover the world below the surface is more complex and colorful than they've ever imagined.

Still, to those who love bats, the study of caves is a study of habitat.

Timpanogos ranger Jon Jasper said the Townsend's big-eared bat is the species most likely to be found dwelling in caves in Utah. Townsend's big-eared bats like to roost in wide open caverns. But they don't like noisy humans. That's why they've all but abandoned Timpanogos, which gets 80,000 visitors a year in its main caverns.

Jasper said the number of Townsend's big-eared bats may be in decline throughout the state. "They actually are listed as a 'species of concern' in the West." Jasper explained the challenges facing the Townsend's, as a species. For one thing, they don't know how to hide very well. Also they only have one pup per season.