Why did 100,000 dead bats reportedly fall out of the sky in Australia?

Residents describe the stench of rotting carcasses littering the streets

Bats
(Image credit: (Thinkstock))

While blistering cold continues to punish most of North America, here is your friendly annual reminder that summer is in full swing down in Australia.

Unfortunately for residents of several towns scattered across the north-east state of Queensland, enjoying all that wonderful sunshine may be a bit difficult, especially when surrounded by the rotting, noxious corpses of thousands of dead bats.

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.