Maternity colony (bats) Maternity colony (bats) A maternity colony refers to a temporary association of reproductive female bats for giving birth to, nursing, and weaning their pups. The colonies are initiated by pregnant bats. After giving birth, the colony consists of the lactating females and their offspring. After weaning, juveniles will leave the maternity colony, and the colony itself will break apart. The size of a maternity colony is highly variable by species, with some species forming colonies consisting of ten or fewer individuals, while the largest maternity colony in the world in Bracken Cave is estimated to have over 15 million bats.
Bats of Israel moths soared, resulting in extensive damage to crops. The largest bat hibernation site in Israel is the Twins Cave, south of Beit Shemesh. The cave is a karstic formation measuring and takes its name from a local Arab legend about a woman who drank from a spring in the cave and subsequently gave birth to a pair of twins. The cave forms part of the Twins Cave Nature Reserve. Bats of Israel To date, thirty-three species of Israeli bats have been identified, of which 32 are insectivorous bats. The largest bat hibernation site in Israel is the Twins Cave near