AUBURN — While some children squirmed in their seats and held their breath, others clamoured to get a closer look at the big, brown bat that Chewonki Foundation Traveling Natural History instructor Matt Weeks was showing to a packed room at the Auburn Public Library on Tuesday afternoon.  

Weeks was there to try to dispel myths and fears that many people have about bats, and to educate people about the benefits of bats.  

“One of their favorite foods is mosquitoes. They only feed for about two hours each night and guess how many they eat?” Weeks asked.

Many responses came from the audience. “Seven!” “100!” “700!” “2,500!”

 “Actually, each bat eats about 2,000 every night,” Weeks said.

“Wow!” was the response from many children sitting elbow to elbow on the floor in the front of the room.  

The traveling program, called the “batmobile,” is designed to inspire appreciation for the tremendous diversity of bats in the world and for their irreplaceable niche in natural ecosystems.

More free events will be held at the library throughout school vacation week and all year long. To check out a calendar of events, visit the library website at www.auburnpubliclibrary.org.