All About Bats for International Bat Week
BY MADISON HRYSKO, GROUP FOR THE EAST END ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATE
What better time to celebrate bats and their role in nature than just before Halloween? Bat Week runs from October 24 through October 31, and 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. Here are some myths and facts, types of bats you can find on Long Island, and what you can do to help these incredible species.
Myths or Facts: All About Bats
Bats are Blind: MYTH
Bats are not blind. They have very small, sensitive, and sometimes underdeveloped eyes, but they are able to see completely fine! The saying ‘blind as a bat’ has been around for a while and was born out of the assumption that bats were blind based on their meandering flight patterns. However, we now know smaller bats like to use echolocation, a type of built-in sonar system allowing them to see in the dark, to pinpoint prey, while larger bats use sight and smell to find food.
ALL Bats have Rabies: MYTH
Not every bat has rabies or are asymptomatic carriers for the disease, in fact, less than a half of a percent (.5%) actually contract the disease. In addition to bats, you can catch rabies from wild animals like foxes, skunks, raccoons, and coyotes. It is important not to touch any wild animal, even if they are deceased.
Bats like to Fly Towards you and Get Tangled in your Hair: MYTH
According to folklore through the Americas, Europe, and Asia, bats are attracted to white clothing and will get entangled in human hair. Once entangled the bat becomes nearly impossible to remove and people would have to cut off all their hair to remove it. In reality, bats have no interest in hair, only in insects that could be around you. Bats tend to roost upside down in trees or other structures and will drop down and flap their wings to take flight. It may seem as though they are swooping towards you, but they are just searching for their next meal.
Bats are Pollinators: TRUTH
Just like bees, bats are pollinators too! However, bees are attracted to brightly colored diurnal flowers while bats pollinate pale nocturnal flowers. Typically, these flowers are large and in the shape of a bell, which bats have evolved to be able to nectar. Over 500 different plant species are pollinated by bats including mangos, banana, guava, and agave. Some bats pollinate the flowers of these fruits as well as rely on them as a food source, helping these species reproduce and encouraging the growth of new plants.
Bats are Natural Pest Control: TRUTH
We have bats to thank for some level of insect control. Bats are responsible for eating millions of insects a night (little brown bats of the United States eat as many as 1,000 mosquitoes per hour). On or near agricultural lands bats play an important role in preventing insect damage to crops and can provide an important pest management service. However, some agricultural practices are detrimental to bats like the use of pesticides which can cause bats to go hungry due to loss of insect prey. The reduction in wooded habitat surrounding farmland further affects bats because they lose their hunting and roosting grounds. It is important to protect intact woodlands, especially here on Long Island where development pressure is high, to support bat populations.
Bats Numbers are Declining: TRUTH
Bats are extremely important to a healthy ecosystem and are good indicators of how other species are faring. However, with an increase in land development, agricultural practices, decrease in forests, habitat fragmentation and changes in land use, bats are at risk. Additionally, white-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of the northern long-eared, little brown, and tri-colored bat populations (all of which are species found on Long Island). Large scale conservation efforts are needed to ensure that we keep bat populations at a healthy level. It is also important to dispel the stigma surrounding bats because of their important role in pollination, pest management, and indicators for ecosystem health!
Types of Bats Found on Long Island
Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus), Tri-Colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus), Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis), Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis), and the Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
To support bats on Long Island, you can…
Include a water feature in your yard: In one day a bat can lose up to 50% of their body weight in water! If you do not live near a natural body of water try installing a bird bath or other water feature. Doing so will make your yard enticing for bats and give them the needed replenishment.
Plant nocturnal plant species: Nocturnal species or pale flowers will support local bat populations. Please use native plants when supporting wildlife. Native plants are adapted to local conditions and support native insects, our bats' preferred food source.
Install or build a bat house: Not only will this provide a roosting location for bats, it may also keep them out of the attic. For instructions on best building practices look here.
Like bats? We sure do! Take part in Seatuck’s citizen science project about bats here.
Sources
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/article/bat-myths-busted
https://batworld.org/myths_facts_page/
https://batwatch.ca/content/bat-myths
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2766192/
https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/why-bats-matter/bats-as-pollinators
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150316093005.htm
https://www.batcon.org/article/bats-and-human-hair/
https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccesuffolkligardening/category/native-plants/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20706363/how-to-attract-bats/