Holy Chiroptera. It’s Bat Week!
Naturally, it’s Bat Week. It’s Halloween week, too.
In actuality, October 24-31 is an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy, but like Rodney Dangerfield, bats don’t get any respect, and many are scared out of their wits if a bat appears.
Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating tons of insects. Some bats can catch up to 1,000 or more small insects in a single hour. A nursing mother bat eats the most – sometimes catching more than 4,000 insects in a night.
While most bats are insect-eaters, some eat nectar and some feed on blood (vampire bats). Bats are nocturnal and many roost in caves. They are extremely important in their ecosystems as they pollinate flowers and disperse seeds that grow new plants and trees. Many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for their survival.
So instead of fearing, let us celebrate bats this week and thank them for their services.