BATS BATS BATS!

Yep! You guessed it: this post is all about bats🦇, why we need them and how to protect them.

But first: what are bats? Bats are nocturnal mammals that can fly. In fact, they are the only mammal that can do this! There are two types of bats- microchiroptera and megachiroptera 

( basically small bats and big bats). In the UK ,we have microchiroptera, which I'll be describing today; but countries like Australia have megachiroptera, also known as fruit bats.

 Many people think bats are blind (think about the phrase 'as blind as a bat') but actually they can see almost as well as humans! They use echolocation (which is basically sounds that humans can't hear) to find their way in the dark. They make a high-pitched sound, which bounces off their surroundings and they can tell what's around them by how long it takes for the sound to come back to them. Cool, right?

Lots of people think bats are creepy; but actually they're reeeeally cute! With a body as big as your thumb; large ears which in some cases open up as they awake; and amazingly powerful wings, bats are amazing creatures. If you're still not convinced about bats; hear this: bats purr! Yes! If you put a (gloved) hand on the back of a contented bat, you may feel it vibrate! 

During this pandemic, bats are having a hard time. People have said that bats caused Covid-19 . It's true that other coronaviruses have been found in bats, and that Covid-19 originated in animals; but did they really cause this? Or is this just our prejudice against bats revealing itself?

Even if it was bats, humans are to blame too. In countries such as China, animals are sold live. Bats are put in cages. A stressed bat has a higher level of infection; so putting bats in cages means that it is more likely to pass on a virus to you!

But why do we need bats? Well, most microchiroptera survive on insects, such as mosquitoes. Can you see where I'm going? Yes; without bats, there would be a lot more mosquitoes! But how many more mosquitoes? Well, if I told you that the UK's smallest bat (the pipistrelle) can eat more than 3,000 insects a night, and you thought of how many bats and how many nights and went on and on and on I think you would understand how much we need bats. Also, 70% of the world's tropical fruit eaten by humans relies on bats as pollinators and seed dispersers. So thank bats next time you tuck into a banana!

But bats need protecting. Their habitats are being destroyed and there aren't enough people who care about bats to  help every single one of them. But how can you help?

During this time you can't really do a bake sale ; but sometimes just telling people is enough. Tell you're friends, or even just your family. They'll probably be more interested than you might think! Or click here  to visit the Bat Conservation Trust's website.

See you next time!