that bracken cave outside san antonio is believed to be home to the single largest colony of bats in world. >> every year during the spring and summer, i think there are something like 30 million bats in the cave. >> in the cave? >> in the cave. in the summer. there are so many bats that the local weather stations use their doppler radar. they can see the cloud of bats coming out and spreading over the landscape to catch insects. >> really? >> it takes hours for them, there are so many commuting basically from wherever they're sleeping during the day to where their food is. >> they go the same way each time? >> yes. >> in an ecosystem, what role do bats have? >> yes. they're a really critical, key component. for instance, insect eating bats, because they consume so many insects, they play a large role in controlling insect populations. >> a normal size bat can eat up to 500 to 1,000 mosquitos in an hour that might be carrying diseases like zika or malaria. if you're in an area where there are a lot of mosquitoes and you see bats at night, you should be thankful for those bats. >> exa