Massachusetts Tries to Elevate Popularity of Bats
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is celebrating "Bat Week" as Halloween approaches.
This is not a joke; Bat Week was launched by the state to promote bat conservation and celebrate the role these harmless, fascinating flying mammals play in Massachusetts.
The little girl in this video has the right idea. We should love bats. They feast on annoying mosquitos every night and play an important part in our ecosystem.
According to Mass.gov, the Commonwealth is home to nine species of bats. Unfortunately, eight of those species are listed as endangered.
For some reason, most of us look unfavorably upon bats. Granted, they are a bit creepy, but it seems many of us learned more about bats from movies than from experts.
To address common misconceptions, Massachusetts has put together several "Bat Myth Busters." Here are some surprising facts:
Bat Myth Busters
Myth: Bats are blind.
Fact: Bats can see as well as other mammals, with some species seeing three times better than humans. They rely on sound waves at night, essentially “seeing” with both eyes and ears.
Myth: All bats suck blood.
Fact: Most bats eat insects, consuming large quantities of mosquitoes. Only three of the world’s 1,400 species are vampire bats, which live in Mexico, Central, and South America, and feed on animals like cattle.
Myth: Bats are dirty.
Fact: Bats are very clean, grooming themselves regularly like cats, with some even grooming each other.
Myth: All bats have rabies.
Fact: Less than 0.5 percent of bats carry rabies, making it a very rare occurrence. Human rabies cases from bats in the U.S. and Canada amount to roughly one case per 143 million people annually.
In fact, far more people die from dog bites, bee stings or lightning strikes than from rabies contracted through bats. Fewer than 40 cases have been reported in the U.S. over the past 40 years.
The next time you see a bat clumsily flying through the air, take a page from the little girl above and love the little bug eater!
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