Big eared townsend bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)

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V11i11 Nov Wings in the Night
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Narrated by J.M. Wood

Welcome to CREATURE CORNER! Our world is full of a diverse range of strange and unique animals, but an overwhelming number of them get left behind due to lack of education and negative reputations. Here, I want to teach you about the creepy and the crawly, and shed some light on critters that could use a bit more love. 

Today we’ll be talking about bats!

Beyond Halloween and rabies information sheets, bats don’t typically cross the mind of the average person. Small, nocturnal mammals that avoid humans aren’t the most common choice when thinking about native wildlife, but they’re just as important to our ecosystem as any other animal. 

So, what is there to know about bats?

In Washington state, we have fifteen species of native bats, including the spotted bat, the pallid bat, and the fringed bat. They all have important roles to play, and you might not guess at first glance what they are! Some people know about the diets of a few bats, but there’s a lot more range to bat dinners than bugs and blood.

Bat diets can range from fruit and nectar to blood and small animals, but all fifteen species of bat in Washington are insectivores. Bats work alongside birds, lizards, predatory insects, and other small animals to manage the population of creatures humans call ‘pests’ — mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and more. So many of those irritating insects would be completely out of hand without bats!

In my last column, ‘Unconventional pollinators’ (tumbleweird.org/unconventional-pollinators), I discussed many of the invertebrates that pollinate our plant life. But not all pollinators are crawly critters. Believe it or not, bats are important pollinators, too! Mangoes, bananas, agave, eucalyptus, and more are almost exclusively pollinated by species of bat. Just imagine… without our furry friends, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy these harvests at all.

When it comes to bats, people often approach the topic with fear over the prospect of disease. The threats of bacteria, sickness, or rabies are real, and reasonable things to be afraid of. But facts about these dangers are usually blown out of proportion. So, let’s discuss the real risks of bat-borne illness.

The first thing to understand is that only about 1% of wild bats carry rabies. Between 10% and 20% of many other wild animals — like raccoons, foxes, and skunks — are positive for rabies when tested. However, this does not mean you should go picking up bats. Never handle bats! If you need a bat (or any wildlife) removed from your home or property, contact a certified wildlife control operator and request assistance. 

(You can find one at wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/nuisance-wildlife/wildlife-control-operators.)

Okay, but how do you know if a bat is potentially rabid? 

There are two telltale symptoms in animals carrying rabies. The kind you most likely think of is ‘furious’ rabies — drooling, aggressive animals that avoid water like the plague. The lesser-known kind is ‘dumb’ rabies — animals may be unusually docile or friendly, seemingly losing all fear of humans. They can appear injured or paralyzed, and while the animal lovers amongst us will be inclined to scoop them up and nurse them, you should never make contact with sick animals. Call a professional, and inform them of any symptoms you observe.

If you think you may have come in contact with a bat (or any animal) carrying rabies, go to your doctor and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Although rare, rabies is almost always fatal, and potential exposure is not something to laugh off. However, if you have been exposed, there is no need to panic! Rabies vaccines are incredibly effective (although they can be expensive). Less than ten people die from rabies infection in the United States yearly.

If you want to be a friend to bats, don’t bring them inside. Allow them access to the resources they need outside your home, and if you can, offer shelter that won’t put you or these furry friends at risk. You may even be able to install a bat box on your property.

(You can learn more about bat boxes at fws.gov/question-answer/how-and-whether-install-bat-boxes)

Now, here are some fun facts to help you love bats even more! 

Did you know that bats are not actually blind? While their vision varies, some bats have better eyesight than humans! And, speaking of humans, bats’ use of echolocation has inspired the creation of aids for the visually impaired. There’s a lot to learn from these little guys! And now that you know, the next time someone uses the phrase blind as a bat, you can share this with them!

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. While some mammals (like flying squirrels) can glide from tree to tree, they cannot actually fly like bats, many of which have skills on par with birds! However, most bats cannot take off from ground level, needing to drop down from a branch or stalactite to get into the air. Once they are flying, though, bats are skilled mid-air maneuverers, and quite speedy. The Brazilian free-tailed bat is the fastest, and has been recorded flying at speeds of up to 99.5mph. That’s almost as fast as a cheetah can run! 

The greater bulldog bat is the loudest bat; they can reach 140 decibels when communicating with others of their species. This rivals the volume of many guns, and even some aircraft! Use ear protection if you plan to watch these bats in action.

Bats come in many different sizes. Bat lovers are likely familiar with the flying fox, the world’s largest bat. These incredible animals can have a wingspan over five feet, and they weigh around three pounds. On the other end of the scale is the bumblebee bat, the world’s smallest bat. These little critters are about an inch long, and only two grams at most, small enough to fit on the tip of your finger. Aww!

With Halloween just past, let’s close out with some facts about the vampire bat, arguably the most famous of the season. Despite their celebrity status, most people don’t know much about them.

Vampire bats are sanguivores, which means they feed exclusively on the blood of other animals. They primarily target large livestock animals like cows, pigs, and horses. Because they are so much smaller than the animals they feed from, they usually go unnoticed. The vampire bat uses its sharp incisors to open a small bite in the animal it has chosen. Contrary to popular belief, they do not suck the blood, but lap it with their tongue, using an anticoagulant agent in their saliva to keep it flowing.

Each night, vampire bats consume around forty percent of their body weight in blood. While this should be enough to keep them from flying, their metabolism is so quick that by the time they are done, they’ve digested enough to get back to their colony. These social bats care for each other, too; if a bat does not get enough to eat, another bat will regurgitate blood to share with them — no bat goes hungry!

We need bats!

Bats are already delightful little animals on the surface, but there’s so much to learn that will only endear them to you even further if you take the time to slow down and observe. They’re an important part of our ecosystem, and so fascinating. In the future, I’ll cover some of the flashier bats of the world!

While bats are more widely appreciated than insects and arachnids, they are still the recipients of much unwarranted ire. Luckily, we can work together to spread knowledge and love about these overlooked animals and build a kinder planet one person at a time. That change can start with you!

Love yourself, love others, and love all the lives we share the planet with!

kawanyanya is an artist that loves all things queer, creepy, and crawly. If you like their work and want to know where to find more, you can follow their social links at https://kawanyanya.carrd.co.

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