The state of Tennessee is home to approximately 16 different species of bats, all of which feed on insects.
Just some facts:
Bats are not blind; they can see but use echolocation to navigate.
Like most mammals bats can carry and transmit rabies but it is not common; less than 40 people are known to have contracted rabies from bats in the United States over the past 40 years. Still, you should never handle a bat.
While many people think of bats as feasting on blood there are only 3 species of the approximate 1100 species that actually consume blood and none of these live in the United States.
Many bats are insectivores, a bat can eat more than 50% of its own bodyweight in insects a night. Other bats feed on fruit and nectar and are important pollinators.
The benefit of bats to Tennessee agriculture is estimated at approximately $313 million per year.
There are some briars in the area so I put some reference points down for the best places to turn to avoid them.
This geocache is one in a series of 15 that I have placed along the Cub Lake Trail in Natchez Trace State Park located in Wildersville, Tennessee. Natchez Trace State Park is a 10,154 acre state park located within a 48,000 acre state forest and wildlife management area. Cub Lake is approximately 52 acres in size and the trail around it is approximately 5.8 miles long and considered moderate difficulty. There are approximately 13.5 miles of hiking trails in the park and an overnight trail that is 40 miles long. Other activities at the park include swimming at Cub Lake, boating on various lakes, mountain biking, fishing, and horseback riding. There are also campgrounds and pavilions available for rental.
I would like to thank Walter Pope, park manager, for granting permission for these geocache hides. Please be respectful of the area and stay on the trails for as long as possible. Be sure to bring your boots if you do the whole trail, it can get muddy in sections.