|
 Bats
are not flying mice; they are not even remotely related to rodents.
Bats are such unique animals that scientists have placed them in a
group all their own, called 'Chiroptera’, which means hand-wing.
Bats are grouped with primates and lemurs in a grand order
called
Archonta.
Bats are not
blind. Most bats can see as well as humans. Fruit bats have eyesight
that is adapted to low-light, much like cats. Fruit bats also see in
color.
 Bats
do not try to become tangled in hair. In fact, insect-eating bats
are equipped with a built in sonar system that allows them to
navigate at break-neck speed through total darkness. Their unique
echolocation ability is literally thousands of times more efficient
than any similar system built by humans. If a bat swoops toward you,
it’s probably after the mosquito that is hovering just above your
head - not your hair.
Bats are not ugly
or dirty. Most bats have very cute faces, some even resemble deer,
rabbits, and little Chihuahuas. Like cats, bats spend an enormous
amount of time grooming
their fur, keeping it soft and silky.
 Not
all bats are vampires. Of the world’s 1100+ species, only three are
vampire bats limited mostly to Latin America. Vampire bats are very
small (about the size of a package of M&Ms). Vampire bats do not
attack humans or suck our blood; they prefer to get their
teaspoon-sized meals from other animals. The remaining 1097 or so
species of bats eat insects, fruit, nectar and pollen. A few species
eat fish and frogs. Insect-eating bats eat billions of tons of
insects each summer. They protect our crops and keep our costs down
at the market place. Fruit bats bring us over 450 commercial
products and 80 medicines through pollination and seed dispersal.
Over 95% of rainforest regrowth comes from seeds that have been
spread by fruit bats.
Bats don’t ‘carry’
rabies,
however, they are capable of catching the disease just like any
other mammal. Less than one-half of one percent of bats actually
contract the disease. In reality, more people die annually from
contact with household pets than have died from contact with bats in
all recorded history. This doesn’t mean that it’s okay to touch or
handle bats, as they may be afraid and bite in self-defense. Bats
are wild animals, and all wild animals can be dangerous.
Additionally, grounded bats are more likely to be sick so
 they
should
never
be rescued bare-handed.
Bats are shy,
gentle, and intelligent. They are among the slowest reproducing
animals on earth. Most bat species have only one live young per
year. A mother bat nurses her baby from a pair of pectoral breasts.
The average life-span of a bat is 25 to 40 years.
Bat populations
are declining. Half the bats in the US are listed as rare,
threatened or endangered. |
