For all my batty friends!

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storyj.mp/acgnz6qkgvgv

Did you know that bats actually have a way of seeing in the dark? Bats have been given a bad reputation through the years, but they actually have many interesting and little known good qualities. Bats are not the bad creatures that many people think they are.

First of all, contrary to popular belief, bats do not go around sucking people’s blood. The early vampire myths and later movies got this idea started, but it is simply not true.

Most bats eat insects and maybe fruit, but not your blood. The only bat that comes close to doing that is the vampire bat that occasionally feeds on the blood of mammals, usually sleeping cattle and horses. Rarely does this bat come near humans, and it certainly doesn’t turn you into a vampire!

As mentioned earlier, bats have some pretty cool tricks, like ways to “see” in the dark. Most bats use something called echolocation, or short, high-frequency sound pulses that reflect from objects near them. This, along with their highly developed ears, allows them to be excellent hunters (of insects usually) and evaders at night. This also helps them to communicate better. You have to admit, it would be pretty cool to be able to see in the dark!

Lastly, bats do us a lot of good! Remember all of those mosquito bites you got this summer? Bats help to control the mosquito population along with many other pesky insects. With many types of bats, those insects that “bug” us all of the time are their main diet.

Some people are even starting to build bat houses on their property to encourage bats to live near them. So, if you keep a few bats around, you are less likely to get bit by those nasty mosquitoes.

In conclusion, bats are not really the terrible creatures that people often think they are. With their taste for insects and their cool echolocation skills, they can even be rather interesting and do a lot of good. So, the next time you see a bat, you might want to rethink your reaction to them, and lay off the tennis racket.

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For all my batty friends!

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/acgnz6qkgvgv

First of all, contrary to popular belief, bats do not go around sucking people’s blood. The early vampire myths and later movies got this idea started, but it is simply not true.