Caroline Arnold - Bat

We are extremely grateful to Diana Simons (pictured above) and the Wildlife Center in San Diego, California, for their cheerful cooperation and for helping us learn more about bats. We also thank M. Brock Fenton, York University, Canada, and Gary McCracken, University of Tennessee, for their photographs of bats, and Dr. Fenton for his expert reading of the manuscript. Thanks also to BBH Exhibits, Inc., and Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats; the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Burbank, California; and Bat Conservation International, Austin, Texas. For additional assistance, we thank Al Kisner; Kris Mashburn; the Los Angeles Zoo; the Living Desert Museum, in Palm Desert, California; and the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. We are grateful to Ann Garrett and Don Jim for their special help, and, as always, we thank our editor, Andrea Curley, for her continued support.

You can write to Bat Conservation International at P.O. Box 162603, Austin, Texas 78716 to find out about bat conservation worldwide and how you can help bats where you live.

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After a day of resting, a bat wakes up and looks around. As it extends its limbs, the thin skin between the bones stretches tight to form the broad flight surface of the bats wings. Despite their delicate appearance, the wings are strong and flexible and enable the bat to be an expert flier. Soon the bat will take off into the night, swooping and diving like an aerial acrobat as it searches for the insects that are its food.

The control of some insect pests is just one of the ways that people benefit from having bats around. Yet because they do not know much about them, most people do not appreciate bats, and some species are threatened or endangered.

Mexican free-tailed bat.

You may have seen the dark graceful shapes of bats silhouetted against the sky on a warm summer evening. Bats are fascinating animals that are extremely good at getting around at night and in the air. As we learn more about bats, we will be better able to protect them and the places where they live.

Bats are found throughout North America. Although some bats live close to people, most spend their whole lives without ever having direct contact with humans. Sometimes, however, bats are hurt by other animals, by people, or in accidental collisions. In many communities there are people who are trained to care for injured bats safely and help bring them back to health. Usually the bats can be released to the wild after they recover, but in some cases, if the bats can no longer fend for themselves, they continue to get human care.

Tad and Gus were injured bats that were found and cared for by people working with the Wildlife Center, an organization in southern California that rescues bats and other hurt wild animals. Tad and Gus are frequently taken to visit schools and community groups to help people learn more about bats. They provide an opportunity for people to see how tiny most bats are and to appreciate some of their special features. Although each bat species is unique, all of them have things in common, including the amazing ability to fly.

Big brown bat.

Gus is a big brown bat, one of the most widespread bat species in North America. This species is also found in northern South America and on the islands of the West Indies, in the Caribbean. Big brown bats are often found inside buildings and are among the most commonly seen bats in larger cities. They are also found in wooded and semiopen areas.

Mexican free-tailed bat.

The big brown bat is a small- to medium-size bat with a body weight of .42 to .84 ounces (12 to 24 grams). It has broad wings and small black ears, and its fur color ranges from tan to dark brown. As with most bat species, male and female big brown bats have similar coloring.

Tad is a Mexican free-tailed bat, a common species in the southern and south-western United States and in Mexico and Central America. Mexican free-tails live inside hollow trees and buildings, and in crevices on the outsides of buildings and other structures. They are also found in caves and often congregate in huge colonies. Bracken Cave in Texas is the home of 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, are some other famous sites for this species.

The Mexican free-tailed bat is small, with a coat of short chocolate brown fur, a wrinkled upper lip, and small ears that lie flat across the top of the head. An adult weighs about .42 to .53 ounces (12 to 15 grams). With both Mexican free-tailed bats and big brown bats, males are usually slightly smaller than females.

Superstitions and false ideas about bats have given them a bad reputation. Because bats are active mainly at night and live in secluded places, they are often misunderstood and feared. Most bats are gentle and shy and do not attack people or other animals. If a bat accidentally flies into a building, you should open the doors and windows so it can get out.

Contrary to popular belief, bats do not try to get tangled in your hair. Bats sometimes swoop close overhead in pursuit of insects, but they are skillful fliers and can easily avoid bumping into people.

Perhaps the most dangerous misconception is that bats have rabies and carry diseases. Bats, just like any other mammal, can get rabies, but the danger of a person getting rabies from a bat is extremely small. Many people also believe that bats are rabies carriers, which would mean that they could give rabies to others without suffering from the symptoms themselves. This is not true either. If a bat gets rabies, it dies quietly and rarely becomes aggressive.