Big Brown Bats © Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International
Bats have long been the subject of folklore due to their unusual habits. In an effort to separate fact from fiction, the following are truths about bats:
- Bats are not blind. They can see better than humans at night, however echolocation is their most important sense when hunting.
- The truth about bats and rabies in Alaska. Although bats can be carriers of rabies, the frequency of this has been greatly exaggerated in Alaska.
- Bats do not suck blood or feed on humans. North American bats eat a wide variety of insects, while those in the tropics also eat fruit. The vampire bats of South and Central America do feed on blood by making a small incision through the skin of livestock or birds. They lap up small amounts of blood through the incision.
- Bats are not rodents. They are more closely related to primates than to rodents. They are in their own Order, called Chiroptera. This means “hand-wing” due to their unique flight abilities with wing bones that are similar to those in human fingers.
