10 Bat Myths

Bats have lengthy been shrouded in thriller and false impression. Their nocturnal habits, distinctive look, and affiliation with darkness have fueled quite a few myths and superstitions. This text goals to dispel these falsehoods, revealing the true nature of those very important mammals. Study to understand and perceive them.

Fable 1: Bats Are Blind

Bats are sometimes considered blind, relying solely on their different senses to navigate and hunt. This delusion is so pervasive that many individuals affiliate bats with poor imaginative and prescient, regardless of their lively nighttime conduct.

Whereas bats are nocturnal, most species possess wonderful imaginative and prescient, significantly tailored for low-light circumstances. Nevertheless, their major technique of navigation and searching is echolocation. This subtle system entails emitting high-frequency sound waves and decoding the returning echoes to create a “sonic map” of their environment. This permits them to detect obstacles, find prey, and navigate complicated environments, even in full darkness. Some fruit bats, nonetheless, rely closely on their wonderful eyesight for locating meals.

Fable 2: Bats Are Harmful to People

Bats are sometimes linked to human sickness and hazard, with many individuals fearing that bats will assault them or unfold illnesses corresponding to rabies.

Bats should not inherently harmful to people. In actual fact, they’re helpful creatures that assist management insect populations and pollinate crops. Whereas it’s true that some bats can carry illnesses like rabies, the overwhelming majority of bats don’t transmit illnesses to people. Rabies is uncommon amongst bats, and incidents of human transmission are minimal. Bats are shy creatures and keep away from people every time potential. As well as, nearly all of bat species don’t feed on blood, dispelling the parable of the harmful vampire bat.

Fable 3: Bats Are Solely Present in Caves

Caves are sometimes related to bats in folklore, resulting in the idea that they’re unique to those darkish, distant environments.

Whereas some bat species do roost in caves, many bats dwell in different habitats corresponding to timber, buildings, bridges, and hole logs. Bats are extremely adaptable and may make properties in quite a lot of locations, offered the setting gives shelter and a dependable meals supply. For instance, some species of bats want roosting in forests or city areas slightly than caves.

In colder climates bats do hibernate in caves in addition to different hiding locations.

Fable 4: All Bats Feed on Blood

The concept all bats drink blood is perpetuated by the vampire bat delusion, which has change into a well-liked however deceptive notion.

Solely three species of bats—out of over 1,400—feed on blood. These species are present in Latin America and primarily feed on the blood of livestock, not people. The overwhelming majority of bats eat bugs, fruit, nectar, or pollen.

Fable 5: Bats Attempt to Fly Into Your Hair

It’s a typical delusion that bats will fly into your hair, getting tangled in it. This concept usually seems in folklore and has been sensationalized in common media.

Bats are extremely expert flyers and are unlikely to fly into an individual’s hair. They use echolocation to navigate, and their sensory capability permits them to keep away from obstacles, together with people. Whereas bats could fly close to individuals, they’re normally after bugs flying round you. Bats are typically extra afraid of people and keep away from them when potential.

Fable 6: Bats Are Mice with Wings

A standard false impression is that bats are “flying mice” attributable to their small dimension, nocturnal habits, and look, resulting in an affiliation between bats and rodent pests.

Bats are mammals, however they don’t seem to be associated to mice or rats. They belong to the order Chiroptera which means “hand-wing,” and have advanced distinctive traits, corresponding to their wings, that are fairly completely different from the limbs of rodents. Genetically and anatomically, bats are extra carefully associated to primates, carnivores, and ungulates than to rodents. Their evolutionary historical past and ecological roles are distinct. Not like mice, bats present important ecosystem companies like insect management and pollination.

Fable 7: Bats Are Ineffective Pollinators In comparison with Bees

Many bat species, significantly in tropical and desert areas, are specialised pollinators of quite a few crops, together with commercially necessary crops like bananas, mangoes, and agave. Their nocturnal habits make them important for pollinating night-blooming flowers that bees can not entry. Bat-pollinated crops usually have massive, white, or pale flowers with sturdy, musky scents, tailored to draw bats.

The agave for instance relies upon solely on bat pollination, with out them, we’d not have tequila.

Fable 8: Bats Will Assault You If Provoked

There’s a typical worry that in the event you method a bat, it’s going to aggressively assault you, presumably biting you or inflicting harm.

Bats should not aggressive towards people. They’re extra more likely to flee than to interact in any confrontation. Bats solely chew in self-defense after they really feel threatened or cornered, and even then, such cases are extraordinarily uncommon. Bats would like to keep away from human interplay altogether.

Fable 9: Bats Can Unfold the Zombie Virus

Bats are steadily blamed for fictional illnesses, together with the “zombie virus.” This delusion has grown by means of popular culture, which generally connects bats to the unfold of such fictional illnesses.

Whereas bats are identified to be vectors for some actual illnesses, corresponding to rabies and sure coronaviruses, there isn’t a proof to recommend they unfold a “zombie virus”, which is solely fictional, popularized by motion pictures, TV exhibits, and video video games. In actuality, bats play a vital position in ecosystems, and whereas they will carry illnesses, their contribution to human well being dangers is commonly exaggerated.

Nevertheless, bat numbers in North America are quickly declining attributable to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal illness, that was launched by people. We’re extra harmful to them than they’re to us.

Fable 10: Bats Eat 1,000 Mosquitoes Each Night time

Bats are promoted as a great way to regulate mosquitoes and a few individuals even advocate including bat homes to gardens to scale back mosquito populations.

I’ve mentioned this subject intimately in Do Bats Management Mosquitoes?

Not all bats eat bugs and out of those that do, solely the very smallest species eat a major variety of mosquitoes, after which provided that they’re in the appropriate setting. Mosquitoes are too small for many bats they usually want bigger prey. The variety of 1,000 is exaggerated. Bat homes don’t assist management mosquito populations.

“The perimeter-lipped bat, often known as the frog-eating bat, is effectively adjusted to searching frogs. The bats’ listening to is customized to their low-frequency mating calls, and their salivary glands could neutralize the toxins within the pores and skin of toxic prey.”