Last Maples SNA, near Vanderpool, Texas, United States Photograph by Roy Heideman   Southern North America: Southern United States Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   23,900 square miles (61,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of West Virginia Critical/Endangered

· Day (and Night) Care for Bats
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Day (and Night) Care for Bats

The Edwards Plateau Savanna ecoregion contains some of the most important and largest maternity roosts for bats in the world. These are areas where baby bats stay together, watched over by a few of the mother bats, while the other mothers feed. Millions of Mexican free-tailed bats live in the caves of this ecoregion, creating a globally outstanding phenomenon. It's considered a global hotspot for cave-dwelling species! It also ranks among the top 10 U.S. ecoregions for reptiles and birds.

Special Features

The limestone bedrock that is the foundation of this ecoregion sets it apart from other areas. In limestone karst areas like this, caves are common. The region's large caves provide important habitat for bats and other cave-dwelling species, especially invertebrates. Many species are endemic.

	More than half a million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, Texas, the largest urban bat colony in the world. The 20 million bats of Bracken Cave in central Texas can eat 250,000 pounds (112,500 kg) of insects in a single night

Wild Side

A savanna is an open plain where scattered trees grow among the grasses. The trees of the Edwards Plateau Savannas ecoregion include juniper, oak, mesquite, acacia, and, in wetter areas, maple. One of the unusual animal species found only in the waters of this ecoregion is the widemouth blindcat--a blind, almost colorless catfish found underground at depths as great as 2,000 feet (600 m). Many species of salamander also live here, such as the Comal blind, Texas blind, Blanco blind, and Texas salamanders. Reptiles include the Texas river cooter (a turtle) and the Texas night snake. And among the birds are the golden-cheeked warbler--one of the most critically endangered of the warblers (primarily due to the loss of oak woodlands in its breeding territory)--and the black-capped vireo, another endangered species.

Cause for Concern

Virtually all of this ecoregion has been converted to pasture, urban areas, and farmland. Only about two percent of the original habitat survives, and only in small, scattered pieces. Overgrazing has fragmented the grasslands, eliminated native grassland species, and contributed to the spread of shrubs and other woody plants. The suppression of natural fires has also encouraged shrubs and discouraged native grasses. Urban and suburban development around Austin and San Antonio continues to threaten the few remaining habitat fragments.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.