Bats have gotten a bad/aggressive rap for a long time. Some people call bats creepy and scary, but they’re important to our daily life in ways we might not realize. At Baystate Wildlife, we understand bats because we deal with them on almost a daily basis. Here are some fun facts that you might not know about bats & hopefully they’ll make you appreciate them a little more.

Interesting Facts About Bats

Bats are the only mammals that can fly

Bats are known to be experts in the air, they have thin wings which lets them “airfold” that generates life from the air that gets passed through them. They’re also very powerful when flying and can fly fast.

Bats prefer insects to blood

One single brown bat can catch and eat up to around 1,200 mosquitos in a one hour. There are three different types of vampire bats that live mostly in South and Central America. Vampire bats don’t suck blood from animals or humans but they might be seen licking blood from an open wound.

Bats use echolocation

Echolocation helps bats get around in the nighttime. They don’t see very well even in the daytime so they navigational methods other than seeing. They send out a beeping noise and then listen for variations in their echos and use those echos to navigate. They’re nocturnal which means they sleep during the day and are awake during the night. Being nocturnal is beneficial for bats because it’s easier to catch insects and they are also away to stay away from predators.

Bats in the United States are endangered

More than 50% of bats in the U.S. are listed as endangered and the ones that aren’t endangered yet are in a severe decline. This is from a number of reasons but mostly because of industry, deforestation, pollution, and people getting frightened when they see bats and kill them instead of safely removing bats.

Hopefully, this helps bats get a little bit better of an image once you know more about them. We understand that bats can still be scary when they’re near you or in your home. If you need a bat removed and don’t know what to do. Call the professionals at Baystate Wildlife. We specialize in bat removal and can come out to your home to safely get rid of any unwanted bats. You can call us at (781) 830-6080 or contact us on our website.