(College Station)—Myths depicting bats as dangerous and feared creatures are enough to drive a person batty. So what exactly is the truth about bats?
Missy Young, a research assistant in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, said when it comes to bats there is nothing to fear.
"Bats are very misunderstood creatures that have a tremendous ability to control insect populations," said Young. "They are extremely docile and shy in nature and do not deserve the negative stigma that often surrounds them."
Bats currently account for one-fourth of the animal population in the world. "They are extremely long lived, with some species surviving up to 30 years," she said. "When left undisturbed, bats will flourish and continue to be the harmless and beneficial creatures they are."
Young said one of the reasons bats have received negative attention is their ability to fly at night, which can be perceived by some as creepy or scary.
"Bats are able to see at night through the process of echolocation," she said. "Echolocation produces ultrasonic pulses and interprets the echoes that rebound from objects in a bat's path."
Echolocation calls are produced in the bat's larynx and can be emitted orally or nasally, said Young. "Low frequency echolocation calls are used to communicate socially and high frequency calls are used to navigate and forage for insects."
Many people also believe that bats are blind, which Young said is not the case.
"Some bats have vision adapted for low light conditions and therefore, have developed tiny eyes," she said. "Some species such as the Pallid bat have the ability to differentiate visual patterns in low light."
Another misconception about bats is that they have rabies. But Young said this is false. "Clearly they don't all have rabies because the species itself would not exist if they did," she said. "Statistically speaking, less than one-half of 1 percent of bats contracts rabies."
Bats by nature are not aggressive, despite several images put forth by the media, said Young.
"It is not hard to find photos of bats holding their mouth open which can be interpreted as being aggressive," she said. "Keep in mind that it is natural for a wild animal to want to defend itself if it feels threatened."
Unlike the fictional villain Dracula, bats do not suck people's blood. "There are only three species of true vampire bats in the world, none of which live in Texas," said Young. "These bats typically feed on the blood of livestock such as cows and birds."
There's no need to drive yourself batty with fear because bats are helpful and harmless animals if left undisturbed.
"Bats play a significant part in maintaining whole systems of life
from desert regions to the rain forests," said Young. 