Today (4/17) is Bat Appreciation Day
https://www.checkiday.com/341ba56e63668d28cae9e4d61057f693/bat-appreciation-day
Bats - The mere word brings up images of vampires and horror movies, plague beasts. The truth could not be farther from that image. Bats are one of the most maligned creatures on the planet, right next to the wolf and the hyena.
While my knowledge is only a fraction of my sister, (hopefully she’ll poke her head in) here are a few things I do “know”.
The most common bat in North America is the brown bat. There are two brown bat species: Big Brown and Little Brown. The brown bat can eat up to 3 times it weight in insects a night. Per night! They are the best mosquito control you can get, and they are free.
The Free Tail bat colony at Carlsbad Caverns is large enough to show up on the weather radar when they fly out at dusk. There are groups that will gather near CC to watch the nightly fly out.
The bats most commonly used in horror movies as vampires are not vampire bats, they are fruit bats: Flying Foxes to be precise, the largest bat known today. They are not dangerous to humans.
Vampire bats do not bite their prey on the neck and suck blood. They cut a shallow wound and lap the blood. They are more of the threat to cattle and other livestock than to humans. Vampire bats live in South America.
There are no mega-bats / flying foxes native to North America. Our bats are Micro-bats and 99% are insectivores. The other 1% are nectar bats.
While bats can contract, and spread, rabies, the average bat is no more likely to have rabies than any wild animal.
The average micro-bat is no larger than your hand. They really are not dangerous to humans unless said human is messing with them.
They do not want to get into your hair.
North American bats that commonly hibernate during the winter are under threat from White Nose Syndrome. Migratory species seem to be at less risk of contracting the disease.
Bats are cute!
Bats are not blind. They are primarily nocturnal, so they are sensitive to light, but they can see just fine. They navigate and hunt using echolocation - just like a sonar on a submarine.
If you like margaritas or any drink that has tequila, thank a bat. The Mexican long-nosed bat pollenates the agave plant which is used to make tequila.
Bats are not pets. Please do not try to raise one unless you are trained in their care. They are wild animals and deserve to be left in the wild. If you see one on the side of a building make sure it is not at risk of harm (from pets and/or people) and watch it for a while. It may be resting or trying to find a place safe from predators for the day. If you find one on the ground, keep pets and people away - see if you can tell if it is injured or just resting. Watch it for a little while. If you think it is at risk, try to see if you can get it into a cardboard box and move it to some place safe. Don’t try to handle any wild bat with your bare hands. They can and will bite. If you find one that is injured, contact a wildlife rehabber in your area. (Not one of the numerous pest control companies)
Here are some sites where you can learn more about bats:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaenamontanari/2017/04/17/five-awesome-facts-for-bat-appreciation-day/#159c6f747112
http://www.umich.edu/~esupdate/library/96.04-05/bogan.html
http://www.batcon.org/ (BCI is one of the largest Bat Conservation groups in the world)
http://www.landscope.org/article/TX/endangered_bat/Endangered-Bat-Tequila-Connection/
Please don’t be afraid of me.
I won’t hurt you. I just want your insects.
(North American Big Brown Bat)
(originally posted at https://undomesticatedfeline.wordpress.com/)