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For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the reason in our soul to the things which are by nature
most evident of all.
~Aristotle
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What can I say, bats have gotten a bad rap. They are very cute, clean little creatures.
Most people do not realize that they clean themselves much like a cat does. Many people associate bats with vampires
and rabies. While it is true bats can have rabies, only about 1% actually do. Bats are a very good insect hunter...eating
up to 1,000 insects an hour. A nursing mother bat will eat approximately 4,500 insects a night!
To watch bats,
sit out on your deck at dusk. The bats begin their nightly foraging then. Bats are afraid of humans, much like other wild
animals. If you do encounter a bat that will allow you near it, do not touch it, and call your local control agency. Chances
are it may be sick.
Bats are gentle, non-aggressive creatures. They will bite in self-defense though. Bats are
the only mammal that has adopted an orphan bat or put it's life at risk to feed another. Bats are so amazing to sit back
and watch them gather their nightly fill of insects. Since bats eat while they fly, their site and flying skills are
amazing.
Bats are good for your yard and garden. To encourage the to drop by, you can build a bat house. You can
also plant flowers that insects love, which will attract bats, birds and other wildlife. Some suggestions are honeysuckle,
four o'clocks, cornflowers, petunias and chives.
Try sitting out at night, and watch around the street lights.
Bats like to eat the insects that are swarming around the light.
For more ideas or information on bats, visit
Bat Conservation International.
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Bat Facts
- Bats are mammals and are warm blooded.
- Bats are nocturnal or awake at night.
- They hang upside down when they
rest.
- A single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in one hour.
- Bats comprise about 1/4 of all mammals species.
- Bats are clean animals. They groom themselves constantly, much like cats do.
- Bats only have one baby (pup) per year.
- Many agricultural plant plants
rely on bats for pollination. Some examples are bananas, mangoes, cashews, figs and dates.
- Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight.
- Almost 1,000 species
can be found worldwide. Approximately 40 in the U.S.
- 70% of bats consume insects.
- Bats are not blind. most see as well as humans.
- The
worlds smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat in Thailand, which weighs less than a penny.
- Bats are more closely related to primates than they are of rats.
Back to ATTRACTING WILDLIFE
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