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Are bats blind3/23/2023 Their eyes, on the other hand, work best in low light. However, flying at nighttime is challenging since bats' eyes require light to pass. While certain bats may lack human-like color vision, their total eyesight may be superior to people during morning and night.Īs we mentioned above, bats are not blind. Bats' eyesight is adapted to low-light settings such as those seen at dawn and twilight. Are all bats blind?īats utilize their keen hearing for hunting for food at nighttime and their keen eyes to hunt for food throughout the day. Read the entire article if you want to learn. Although many bats have sophisticated hearing that allows them to see at night via echolocation, this does not necessitate terrible sight. Tell us-what do you want to know about bats?įollow Liz Langley on Facebook and Twitter.Are Bats Blind?Bats are not blind, despite the myth, and they can see clearly with their eyes. One way to help bats is by putting up a bat house: They'll have a place to live, and you may never have to buy mosquito repellent again. (See "Bats May Be Wiped Out by Fungus in U.S. bats while they hibernate, causing them to use up their body fat so they starve before the winter is over, Mies said.Īccording to the Organization for Bat Conservation, white-nose syndrome has killed 5.7 million bats in the northeastern U.S. bats have an evil nemesis: white-nose syndrome. That said, as with any wild animal, don't handle bats unless it's necessary. ( Watch celebrities Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, and Zack Snyder talk about why it's important to help bats.) Since sick bats are more likely to be caught, the percentage is likely lower in the overall bat population. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that of bats captured for testing, only 5 to 6 percent test positive for rabies. Unauthorized use is prohibited.īoth the Organization for Bat Conservation and the U.S. "They're so important economically to us, it's shocking," Mies said. Last, the Center for Biological Diversity credits bats with providing "nontoxic pest-control services totaling $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year," with each bat chowing down on a couple of thousand bugs every single night. (Related: " Beyond Bees: 4 Surprising Facts About Pollination.") Forest Service says that bats are responsible for the pollination of 300 fruits plus agave, which is used to make tequila. Like bees, bats are pollinators, Meis said, and the U.S. A 1999 study showed that 300 plants species rely on Old World fruit bats to spread, and these bats "have the potential to disperse seeds hundreds of kilometers."Įnjoy bananas? Avocados? Margaritas? Thank a bat. When fruit bats eat, the seeds are spread via guano, a spiffy word for bat poop. Mies doesn't mind if you think bats are blind or have hair fetishes, but "when people think that bats aren't worth anything, that's the biggest problem."įor instance, "bats are one of the key seed dispersers to regenerate a healthy rain forest," Mies said. "There's no bat that makes a nest," Mies added-and certainly not in your coiffure. (Related: " 7 Bug and Spider Myths Squashed.") So though it may appear the animals are swooping down on you, they're not. It might be the way bats fly that make them look like they're attacking your head.īats hang upside down from their roosts, so the small fliers need to drop down to "get some lift and start to flap," Mies said. (See "'Whispering' Bat Evolved to Trick Prey.") They're also sensory masters: The large ears of small bats help them echolocate, or use sound waves that bounce off objects like a natural sonar. This one is particularly untrue: Bigger bats "can see three times better than humans," Mies said. That enzyme is being used to develop anti-blood-clotting medication called. "They lick about a spoon's worth of blood, and have an anticlotting enzyme in their saliva that helps keep the blood flowing," he said. Vampire bats weigh only two ounces, and while these Central and South American natives have been known to bite people, they primarily feed on cattle in a way Mies compares to a mosquito. National Geographic caught up with Mies at the Orlando Science Center's Bats: Myths and Mysteries exhibit-which was supported by his organization-to debunk some of the most persistent bat legends. Vampire bats, for instance, will regurgitate blood for bats who didn't get to feed. They're actually altruistic, Mies said, and have been known to share food with other bats. ( Read more about efforts to better bats' reputations.) So in honor of National Bat Week, we're clearing up some myths about the world's only flying mammal.įor starters, bats are not nefarious creatures, as they're often portrayed around Halloween, said Rob Mies, executive director of the Michigan-based Organization for Bat Conservation. Bats tend to get off on the wrong wing with us humans.
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