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BAT WATCHING · VICENZA
Hear bats through an ultrasound detector at the mouth of Veneto’s largest cave
An evening inside the entrance of Buso della Rana, listening to bat calls normally beyond human hearing
At night, the entrance of Buso della Rana becomes a wildlife listening post. During European Bat Night, Biosphaera takes visitors into the first section of Veneto’s largest cave to watch for bats and listen to their echolocation through bat detectors, instruments that translate ultrasound into frequencies the human ear can hear. The 2026 edition took place on 29 August at 20:00, with part of the evening spent inside the damp, rocky cave entrance.
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Know before you go
European Bat Night, Bring a warm layer, torch and outdoor shoes. Part of the evening takes place just inside the first section of the cave, where the floor can be damp, rocky and slippery. The Bat Night programme changes each year, so check the seasonal Biosphaera calendar for the next edition. Organiser Biosphaera Phone +39 0445 1716489 Email info@biosphaera.it Specific Buso della Rana email busodellarana@biosphaera.it
About
Bat calls can reach frequencies far beyond human hearing. Researchers at the caves of the eastern Lessini Mountains have used ultrasound detectors to record those calls around cave entrances, then analyse them to identify species and understand how bats use the landscape. At Buso della Rana, the same kind of acoustic listening gives the evening its magic. For European Bat Night, Biosphaera brings families and researchers to the entrance of the cave to listen to those signals and watch field study unfold in one of the most important underground habitats in the Vicenza Prealps.
BEFORE THE BATS, THERE WERE SHARKS
The cave has one more rather wonderful surprise. Shark teeth have been found inside it. The limestone preserves traces of the tropical marine environment that occupied this part of Veneto around 34 to 37 million years ago. A summer night here therefore manages to contain bats overhead, forty kilometres of cave behind you and an ancient sea inside the rock.
ONE OF VENETO’S GREAT BAT REFUGES
This is much more than a beautiful place to organise a bat evening. Research has recorded greater and lesser horseshoe bats, Schreiber’s bent wing bats and several Myotis species in the caves of the eastern Lessini Mountains. Buso della Rana also hosts a seasonal colony of Schreiber’s bent wing bat. Winter monitoring of the connected Rana Pisatela system in 2022 and 2023 identified it as the second largest known bat hibernation site in Veneto. So when something flutters past the cave entrance after sunset, you are standing outside a genuine refuge.
INTERNATIONAL BAT NIGHT 2026
The 2026 Buso della Rana edition took place on 29 August, the first night of the official International Bat Night weekend. 20:00 Meet at the cave, introduction with images and films 21:00 Bat signal listening at the cave entrance and a research session 22:30 End of the evening The event is explicitly designed for adults and children, with no published minimum age. Participation in 2026 was by voluntary donation, supporting restoration of the Museo del Priaboniano. International Bat Night has been celebrated across more than 50 countries since 1997. The 2026 international weekend fell on 29 and 30 August.