Celebrate Bat Appreciation Day Every April 17

• By NSC
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April 17 is the day to celebrate the very misunderstood, flying mammal the bat. It’s Bat Appreciation Day.

And we really should appreciate bats.

Why?

Because they’re useful little critters. And they’re cute (yes, they are!). And they’re unique.

But they’re also endangered and they need our help. Around the world deforestation, fungal infections, and more threaten to kill off these cute little guys.

We celebrate Bat Appreciation Day on April 17 because this is the time bats are starting to come out of hibernation.

The folks at SmileyBat came up with the idea of Bat Appreciation Day a few years ago. They got Bat Conservation International (BCI) to sponsor the day and got it included in Chase’s Calendar of Events. /|^..^/|

💜🦇🖤

Bats Are Useful: They Eat Insects and Pollinate Plants

That’s right, they do important work.

Most bats have no interest in drinking your blood.

Many species eat insects. And one insect-eating bat can rid the world of thousands of pesky bugs every day. That includes those legitimate blood-suckers, the mosquito.

Other bats eat fruit and nectar. In the process they pollinate the plants they feed on.

If you like tequila, thank a bat. Long-nose bats pollinate agave, which is where tequila comes from!

And, believe it or not, bat guano (poop!) makes an awesome fertilizer for your garden.

Now about those blood-drinking bats. They’re called Vampire Bats, and they live in Central and South America. But even there you don’t have to be too worried. Most Vampire bats eat birds’ blood, although one does prefer mammals.

But they don’t stick their fangs into you. They just scratch their prey and lap up the blood that seeps from the scratch.

 

Bats are Cute

Seriously. Look at their little faces with those big eyes.

 

Those big ears.

 

Cute!

 

And there’s actually a whole lot of different species of bat (almost 1,000), in all different sizes.

Most are pretty small. They’ll fit in your hand.

The grey-headed flying fox on the other hand has a body that can get almost a foot long and weigh up to 1 kg (2.2 lb). It’s wingspan is up to 1 meter (3.3 feet).

 

Bats are Unique

They are the only mammal that can fly. Really and truly fly, not just glide like the flying squirrel.

Their arms and hands have the same bones as other mammals. But their “fingers” are a lot longer than ours. And they’re all connected and covered by thin, leathery skin to form wings.

Many species can navigate and find prey using biosonar (echolocation). They make ultrasonic sounds that bounce off the things around them. When the echo comes back to them, they know what’s nearby. They don’t need light to “see.” They just need their ears!

They can also hear tiny sounds their prey make, like wings beating or insects crawling around the ground.

Each bat makes its own call that’s so unique other bats can identify it by that call.

 

Threats to Bats

Many bat populations are shrinking and in danger of disappearing completely. The reasons differ, but the end results are similar (fewer bats).

Climate change: The world’s climate is changing (even if people disagree on the causes). And it’s affecting many animals’ habitats, including bats.

Wind turbines: These things are great for clean energy. Not so great for bats that run into them.

Hunters: In some parts of the world certain species are hunted for food. In other places they’re killed for being crop pests. Sometimes both.

Deforestation: When forests disappear, so do bats’ roosting and hibernating sites. And their food sources. Smaller forest areas mean fewer insects. All these things stress the bats. And that can make them more prone to infections, too.

Fungus: White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is decimating bat populations in the U.S. This fungus was first discovered in 2006 near Albany, New York. It has since spread west of the Mississippi and south as far as Alabama. Affected bats wake up during hibernation, depleting their fat stores and starving.

Pesticides: Both insect-eating and fruit-eating bats can end up eating a lot of this stuff, which has endocrine disrupting effects.

Cave exploration (spelunking): As fun as this activity can be for humans, it disturbs the bats. When they’re disturbed during hibernation they use up some of their fat stores. If it happens too often they can starve to death before spring comes (when they can get more food). Going into caves where bats hibernate can also spread WNS.

Bats tend to have only one pup (baby) each season. So it’s hard for bat populations to rebound.

Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this worthy unofficial holiday.

 

Celebrating Bat Appreciation Day

Start by appreciating bats and all they do for you. Remember, fewer mosquitoes! That alone should be enough to get the bat at least a little appreciation. ;)

Learn more about bat rescue organizations.

If you can, donate to a bat rescue or other wildlife conservation group that also helps bats. (Always check out any organization before donating. You want to be sure you approve of the way they use donations.)

• Bat Conservation International
• Organization for Bat Conservation

 

Both of the above organizations also let you adopt a bat (you don’t actually get the bat; but you do get an adoption certificate and other goodies/information about bats).

Put up a bat house and encourage bats to live in your backyard. Not only will you be helping bats, they’ll be helping you by eating those annoying mosquitoes and other bugs that invade your yard without invitation.

You can buy a bat house.

Or try your hand at building one. Find free patterns/instructions:

• Carlsbad Caverns Do-It-Yourself Bat House
• This Old House; How to Build a Bat House
• Wisconsin DNR Build a Bat House

 

For the most success, though, you might want to invest in The Bat House Builder’s Handbook. It’s from Bat Conservation International, and they know bats. This book gives you tons of information on how to put up a bat house the right way. You get plans for a few different houses, along with tips on where to put them (yes, there are right and wrong places) and even what color to paint them.

 

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