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Ep. 35 Bat Ecology with Dr. Dana Green Part 2

Plants Always Win

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Episode  ·  43:33  ·  Sep 23, 2025

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Dr. Dana Green, a.k.a. “The Eyepatch Biologist” is back for part two! This free-flying conversation just couldn’t be contained to a single hour. We plunge straight in this week with an urgent question: how do bats relieve themselves without dribbling on their own heads? From there the facts come thick and fast: microchiroptera (our local insect-eating, echolocating bats) vs. megachiroptera (bigger fruit-eating bats from other climates that don’t echolocate); the truth about bats’ sense of sight; and the unexpected songs of silverhair bats. Dana shares how to attract bats to our properties without welcoming them into our homes, and we delve into the devastating consequences of pesticide use in the ecosystem—and how to report it when you witness someone applying pesticides illegally.  Throughout the interview we also get some of Dana’s opinions on the quality of bat representation in media, including Daredevil, Dungeons and Dragons, Batman and vampire books. The episode wraps up with a lightning round of facts, favourites, and myth busting—and a promise to bring Dana back for even more ecological eloquence in the future! Learn More: Dana’s website: https://www.danagreeneco.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theeyepatchbiologist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyepatchbiologist/ Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment?  Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @PlantsAlwaysWinPodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4Ja Timestamps 00:12 Introduction 01:00 How do Bats Relieve Themselves? 01:58 Flying Foxes, or Megachiroptera, a Subgroup of Bats 03:30 Bats Aren’t Blind 04:48 Echolocation Representation in Daredevil 06:00 Bats that Jam Each Other’s Echolocation Signals 07:28 Singing Silverhair Bats 10:25 Creating Bat Habitat at Your Home 12:00 Pesticides in the Ecosystem 20:15 Lightning Round 20:28 Should We Be Concerned about Diseases in Bats? 20:46 Are Bats Attracted to Long Hair? 21:17 Do Bats Suck Blood? Should We Worry? 23:03 Do Bats Mate for Life? What’s a Bat Leck? 23:48 Hammerhead Bats’ Big Honkers 24:40 The World’s Biggest Bat 26:00 The World’s Smallest Bat 28:39 Cutest Bat Struggles 29:40 The World’s Ugliest (and Wrinkliest) Bat 31:00 A Bat Scientist’s Opinion on Batman 34:20 Great Bat Representation in Kids’ Books and Movies 36:00 Dana’s Love of Vampires 39:15 Find Dana Online 41:44 Outro and Contact Us

43m 33s  ·  Sep 23, 2025

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