Myths About Bats Explained

Do you fear Bats? Is this fear warranted?

An uncontrollable fear of bats may exist, but it is often the result of centuries of prejudice, misinformation and ignorance about bats. Dracula and other horror stories have contributed greatly to these misconceptions causing people to fear them and be unconcerned for their conservation.

A “Myth” is a commonly held belief, idea or explanation that is not true.

Myths arise from people’s need to make sense of things we do not understand or have sufficient knowledge of. They attempt to explain unpleasant events in ways that fit with our preconceived ideas about the world – they arise from and reinforce our prejudices and stereotypes. Myths have powerful implications for how we look at the world. Below we present some common myths and illusions about bats.

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All bats can see, some see better than humans such as the fruit bats of Africa and Asia which have large eyes that enable them to see flowers and fruit in the night. Other bats may not see as well and rely more on their ability to echolocate for capturing prey and navigating in the dark. Echolocation is the use of sound to navigate, also known as sonar.

Bats do not want to be in anybody’s hair! Experiments have been done placing bats in people’s hair. The bats would not stay on anybody’s head. Even when long hair is wrapped around a bat it will free itself and fly away.

Bats are shy, naturally gentle and not aggressive. They tend to avoid humans. But like any cornered wild animal, bats may bite in self-defence when picked up.

Bats are also mammals but not rodents. They are in their own family, Chiroptera.

Like humans, bats give birth to poorly developed young and nurse them from a pair of breasts.

Whereas mice have litters of babies several times during the year, most bats usually give birth to one pup a year, and some do not give birth until the pups are two or more years old,. This is an unusually low birth rate for a small animal.

Many bats do not survive infancy, so population growth is quite slow – for this and other reasons bat populations are vulnerable to extinction.

There are three species of vampire bats, limited to Central and South America. They are small and generally drink the blood of animals and poultry, rarely feeding on humans. They do not actually suck blood, but rather they make a small cut with razor sharp teeth and then lap up the blood.

Bats may indeed carry rabies and other diseases, but the prevalence rate is far lower than is popularly believed. The odds that a person will die of a bat-borne disease are far less than those of being killed by a dog, a bee sting, or of food poisoning at a church picnic. In Africa one has a much greater chance of getting rabies from a stray dog than a bat. And having bats living in your roof carries virtually no risk of getting a disease from them.

A usually mild lung disease, Histoplasmosis, is caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus typically lives in bat guano. However it needs high humidity to survive and such conditions are only found in some caves and are very unlikely to exist in places such as roofs. Therefore without entering moist caves the possibility of acquiring a Histoplasmosis infection is very low.

Bats actually host no more parasites than other animals. Our pets would be full of parasites if not regularly treated for them. Even humans can carry lice. Fortunately the parasites that do live on bats are very specialized and are not able to survive on humans.

Worldwide, bats are the major predators of night-flying insects, including mosquitoes and many crop pests. Throughout the tropics the seed dispersal and pollination activities of fruit- and nectar-eating bats are vital to the survival of rain forests.

False

Bats are blind – All bats can see, some see better than humans such as the fruit bats of Africa and Asia which have large eyes that enable them to see flowers and fruit in the night. Other bats may not see as well and rely more on their ability to echolocate for capturing prey and navigating in the dark. Echolocation is the use of sound to navigate, also known as sonar.

False

Bats will get tangled in your hair – Bats do not want to be in anybody’s hair! Experiments have been done placing bats in people’s hair. The bats would not stay on anybody’s head. Even when long hair is wrapped around a bat it will free itself and fly away.

False

Bats are aggressive and will attack humans – Bats are shy, naturally gentle and not aggressive. They tend to avoid humans. But like any cornered wild animal, bats may bite in self-defence when picked up.

False

Bats are related to mice and rats – Bats are also mammals but not rodents. They are in their own family, Chiroptera.

True

Bats are mammals and drink mother’s milk during first weeks of life – Like humans, bats give birth to poorly developed young and nurse them from a pair of breasts.

False

Bats reproduce profusely – Whereas mice have litters of babies several times during the year, most bats usually give birth to one pup a year, and some do not give birth until the pups are two or more years old,. This is an unusually low birth rate for a small animal.

Many bats do not survive infancy, so population growth is quite slow – for this and other reasons bat populations are vulnerable to extinction.

False

Vampire bats do not exist – There are three species of vampire bats, limited to Central and South America. They are small and generally drink the blood of animals and poultry, rarely feeding on humans. They do not actually suck blood, but rather they make a small cut with razor sharp teeth and then lap up the blood.

True

Bats may carry diseases, such as rabies – Bats may indeed carry rabies and other diseases, but the prevalence rate is far lower than is popularly believed. The odds that a person will die of a bat-borne disease are far less than those of being killed by a dog, a bee sting, or of food poisoning at a church picnic. In Africa one has a much greater chance of getting rabies from a stray dog than a bat. And having bats living in your roof carries virtually no risk of getting a disease from them.

True

Bat droppings can be a source of Histoplasmosis (‘Cave Disease’) – A usually mild lung disease, Histoplasmosis, is caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus typically lives in bat guano. However it needs high humidity to survive and such conditions are only found in some caves and are very unlikely to exist in places such as roofs. Therefore without entering moist caves the possibility of acquiring a Histoplasmosis infection is very low.

True

Bats carry parasites such as ticks and fleas – Bats actually host no more parasites than other animals. Our pets would be full of parasites if not regularly treated for them. Even humans can carry lice. Fortunately the parasites that do live on bats are very specialized and are not able to survive on humans.

False

Bats have no real benefits for people – Worldwide, bats are the major predators of night-flying insects, including mosquitoes and many crop pests. Throughout the tropics the seed dispersal and pollination activities of fruit- and nectar-eating bats are vital to the survival of rain forests.