9 Fantastic Bat Facts You Need to Know
Interested in a few bat facts for all? Well, it’s important to note the life of a bat is rough and unjust. Popular culture paints the flying mammals as predators. Due to their sharp teeth, webbed-wings, and ability to hang upside down - many people are terrified of bats.
Oh, and the whole Dracula thing didn’t exactly help, either.
Sure, these unique creatures may drink blood on occasion and once in a blue moon they have rabies, but bats are generally peaceful animals that pose no threat to humans. Plus, these flying mammals eat bugs and mosquitos like it’s going out of style.
Bat Facts For All!
So, let’s learn a little more about these unique creatures and dive into a few bat facts:
Humans are mammals, and so are whales. But bats? Yep, they’re mammals, too. In fact, bats are the only mammal species that can fly without an airplane.
Bats are incredible in the air, as their unique wing structure is thin yet powerful. Bats can easily fly between 30-40 miles per hour. When diving for food at night, these animals can occasionally reach 80 MPH - depending on species. Talk about one fast mammal!
Bats are blood-sucking vampire-esque animals in pop culture thanks to everybody's friend, Dracula. The reality of the situation is far different. In fact, bats cannot even suck blood at all.
There are three species of “Vampire” bats in the world. These bats lap up blood. They bite their prey and they lap up the blood as it comes out of the victim. There’s no sucking. At. All.
While these Vampire Bats can do this to a human, it’s incredibly rare. The blood of humans is just not sought after by these animals, They much prefer to “suck” the blood of a cow lounging in the pasture. So don’t worry!
Ahhh, now we’re talking. A bats ability to eat mosquitos is my favorite thing about these unique animals. One bat can eat 1,200 mosquitoes or insects in a single hour. That’s a whole lot of bugs.
For this reason, many home and property owners have been installing a variety of bat boxes around their properties. The bats congregate around these boxes. Some even live in the boxes.
Then at night, the bats start eating mosquitoes. A typical bat box can hold up to 200 bats. So, let’s look at a little math here. 1,200 mosquitoes eaten per hour times 200 bats? That’s 240,000 mosquitoes and bugs “Zapped” from your property in one evening.
I dunno about you, but getting rid of 240,00 pesky insects every hour sounds like a great way to get rid of bug bites and mosquito issues once and for all.
If you’re having a mosquito or insect issue at your home, the best natural mosquito control comes in the form of a Big Bat Box. Click here to learn more.
Bats try to avoid people like the plague. They simply don’t have much interest in humans. Most bat species are even a little scared of a big human hanging around. So, what does this have to do with bat rabies?
Well, less than 10 cases of bat rabies have been found in the United States in the last 50 years. It’s exceptionally unlikely that you’ll get bit by a bat or get rabies once you install a bat box on your property.
Even if you do, bats aren’t the germ-infested animals that many claim. If you happen to get bit, which is exceptionally unlikely, just go to the doctor. You have nothing to worry about. Remember bat facts like these the next time you freak out when a bat flies by.
Bats are thought to be exceptional at navigating through the night, but most are surprised to find out that these animals have horrific eyesight - during the day and night. Sp, how do bats dive down and hunt their prey?
Bats use a unique echolocation system that allows them to send out beeping noise and then listen for vibrations. The vibrations get back to them and they then know where to go and how to navigate.
The animals hunt at night, as insects have a harder time preparing for their attack and predators have a harder time seeing them.
Certain bat species live in solidarity. The majority of bats prefer to live with other bats. Many bats live in caves which offer housing to thousands of other bats, too. Often, they’ll be a plethora of bat species living in one cave.
Bat houses also provide a social living area for many of these mammals. Female bats especially love bat house, as they offer ideal locations for nesting in a semi-social environment.
Ok, bat poop for all may be misleading. I know a lot of you don’t want anything to do with bat poop, but…
Bat droppings are called guano. The stuff is a gardeners’ dream. As one of the richest fertilizers in the whole world, bat poop is big business, especially in Texas. Back in the day, guano was the second largest mineral export in Texas - behind oil.
Mammals are a rare group of animals. There just aren’t that many mammal species in the world. As there are 1,100 species of bats around the world, they make up over 25% of all mammal species on earth. Chalk it up to another interesting bat fact.
Sadly, many bat species are endangered or on the verge of extinction. The animals have gotten a bad rap due to the media and Dracula. So many conservation efforts have been ignored. However, things must change.
Without bats, the insect and mosquito populations will skyrocket. Bugs will become bigger pests than they already are. As nearly 50% of bat species in the United States are endangered, the time to save the bats is now. This is one of the most important bat facts.
How can you help? Well, one major issues the bats face deforestation and losing their natural habitats. By installing a bat box or three on your property, you’ll give a variety of bats and species a unique, yet safe place to live all year.
Bat Facts and Bat Houses
Bat facts are fun, but make no mistake about it - it’s time to save the bats. These animals are nearly harmless to humans and offer a few benefits, including mosquito control and more.
If you’re looking to get rid of pesky insects and mosquitos on your property, a Big Bat Box may be the answer. As the premier bat house on the market, our product not only offers a great place for bats to live, but also attracts more bats than you’d ever imagine using our unique system.
