Microbats are tiny, elusive nocturnal mammals. You probably won't see or hear them, and this stealth has kept them robust even in urban environments; if you're out at night in Melbourne, chances are there's a microbat hidden in a tree nearby.

Dr. Pia Lentini, a biosciences research fellow from the University of Melbourne, meets Bec at Walmsley House in Royal Park to talk about microbats, urban human-wildlife coexistence and conservation. Pia also uses a bat detector to demonstrate the echolocation calls of a Southern Free-tailed Bat, and a Forest Bat (they aren't audible to human ears without bat detectors).

This interview was in response to the City of Melbourne's Microbat Bioblitzes, a series of nighttime events where the public were invited to become 'citizen scientists' and help survey the diversity and distribution of their nocturnal neighbours.

You can find out more about local bats via the Australasian Bat Society.