Cincinnati Parks: Bats Aren't That Scary

Press release from Cincinnati Parks:

Sarah Moskovitz

2021-10-30

It’s International Bat Week and we’re here to tell you why bats matter. These nocturnal creatures are feared by many, but bats aren’t that scary (yes, the first letter of each word spells bats). Where do these misconceptions or myths about bats come from? Let’s take a look.

Bats are weird critters. They’re mostly active at night, they’re small and shy and they’re paradoxical. They are mammals (have fur and teeth) but they also fly like birds. They’re a bit mysterious, which makes people wary of them.

There are vampire bats, but the monsters or man-shaped vampires were known in myths and legends many many years ago. Vampire bats actually live in Latin America, and they don’t suck blood per se. They have sharp teeth that they use to feed on livestock. They make an incision and lap up blood from the animal.

Bats are actually clean animals. They groom themselves, similar to how cats do.
According to many studies, less than 1% of bats have rabies. However, we do not recommend handling bats, as with any wild animal.

This myth was most likely told to keep women from going outside at night. This comes from people getting caught in the middle of bat buffets. There are places that attract many insects, like lakes or pools, and bats love to eat bugs. If a person happens to be near these types of environments at night, they are more likely to see heavy bat activity because they feast there at night.

This press release was produced by Cincinnati Parks. The views expressed here are the author’s own.