Status Updates From The Hidden Nations of Anima...

Studies show that animals will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid the perils of our highways, often making early attempts to utilize wildlife crossings before they're even finished. Once construction of an overpass or underpass is completed, it can reduce animal-vehicle collisions by up to 97 percent...Across the Mountain West..many native animals are returning to areas they had been unexpectedly cut off from.

I approached..the cave mouth to see the subtle undulations of the emerging Batnado on full display..As the small cyclone whipped closer, its intensity grew. With every rotation, thousands more bats leapt from their niches on the cave wall to join in, like a giant spool of black cotton candy..I soon had tens of thousands of..bats barreling around just inches above me, generating an astonishing amount of wind.

Wikelski [of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany] leads a groundbreaking project called ICARUS, which stands for International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space. ICARUS employs tiny tracking tags and powerful receivers installed on satellites..to monitor and map animal movements, from antelope to falcons [aiming] to provide the ultimate birds eye view of..the "pulse of the living planet."