People have dozens of myths and misconceptions about bats. 鈥淧eople have learned more about other species, like birds, but bats haven鈥檛 always gotten proper conservation attention,鈥 explained Leila Harris, 69成人 ecology graduate student. 鈥淏ats are not any more dangerous than other wild animals and it鈥檚 important to recognize that a lot of concerns or impressions of bats simply aren鈥檛 based on reality.鈥 Humans are far more dangerous to bats than bats are to humans. We debunked some of the most popular bat myths:
MYTH: Bats Are Flying Mice
In fact, bats are not rodents at all. Unlike rodents, which can reproduce quickly and have large litters, our North American bat species give birth once and most have one 鈥榩up鈥 a year. 鈥淭here is a huge difference in terms of reproductive capability, which makes bats really vulnerable. If their population gets hit, they won鈥檛 recover quickly.鈥
MYTH: Bats Attack Your Hair
鈥淥bviously, if you鈥檙e right in front of a bat and startle it, maybe,鈥 said Harris. 鈥淏ut they鈥檙e not going out and attacking people.鈥 In fact, they鈥檙e probably trying to catch the tiny bugs around your head. 鈥淏ats are very agile and can use their echolocation to pick up prey as small as gnats.鈥
MYTH: Bats Are Blind
Bats are not blind. 鈥淪ome bats can even see UV wavelengths!鈥 said Harris. 鈥淓cholocation only works close up because high frequency sound doesn鈥檛 travel very far. They use that to catch their prey, but bats use their eyes for big-scale things. Some bats also use their eyes for hunting.鈥
MYTH: Bats Are a Menace
Most North American bat species eat insects. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 chew on cables or eat the wood of your house,鈥 Harris said. 鈥淏ats and people can coexist with very low risk if people use common sense.鈥
MYTH: Bats Have Rabies
Less than .5 percent of the wild bat population carries rabies. 鈥淓ven of the ones that are picked up off the sidewalk and submitted for rabies testing, only about 6 to 10 percent come back positive for rabies.鈥 That said, never pick up a bat with your bare hands. 鈥淭here are higher chances of rabies in several other mammals,鈥 explained Harris. 鈥淏ut if there鈥檚 no contact, there鈥檚 no problem.鈥
MYTH: Bats Are All the Same
Actually, there are more than 1,200 different species of bats in the world. California alone is home to 24 different bat species. 鈥淭hey have hugely different foraging strategies and life histories. Some bats even eat scorpions off the ground, while other bats forage at really high altitudes and eat flying insects.鈥 Because of that, different bats needs different kinds of food, roost habitats and foraging techniques.
