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| Fruit Bat |
I’ve learned since my last post here that bats have
much to recommend them. Yes, there are “bad
bats” who carry and transmit coronaviruses to other animals, after which humans
can become infected as a result of their own activity — but it seems those
bats are in the minority both geographically and numerically.
fact, an international team of scientists reportedly used
genetic analysis to trace the likely origin of the novel coronavirus to (Chinese) horseshoe bats –pictured in
the last post. While they found
evidence that the novel coronavirus behind our current pandemic may have
evolved in Yunnan Province, they could not rule out an origin elsewhere in
Southeast Asia outside China.
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| Batcon.org |
Which brings us to the “nice bats,” the
ones we need and depend on. And if you
doubt that, just spend a while at www.batcon.org — Bat Conservation
International — a site with lots of info and at least one terrific video
showing various bat faces. (Watch out:
that video is startling. I didn’t know there
were so many different-looking bats, and although I still disagree with anyone
describing bats as “cute,” they sure are . . . interesting looking.)
Important: They consume vast numbers of insects including
agricultural pests; they pollinate valuable plants; and they disperse seeds
critical to restoring rain forests.
Threatened: Unsurprisingly, human activity destroys their habitats and some people see
bats as consumable bushmeat.
Latin American vampire bats feed on blood and just one of them targets mammals.
Everywhere: Perhaps most surprising, bats don’t live their lives isolated in dark caves; rather, they
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| Yuma myotis |
interact on a daily basis with the same fields, forests, and waterways that we
do.
bat,” because they’re far from it.
Not only do they see
as well as just about any other mammal, but most bats also use a unique
biological sonar system called echolocation, which lets them navigate dark
caves and hunt fast-flying insects in total darkness. . . . Using sound alone,
bats can see everything but color and detect obstacles as fine as a human hair.
best things I’ve learned about bats is their voracious appetite for mosquitoes. I can love bats because I hate mosquitoes. Those like me who are special targets for
mosquitoes can encourage bats in their neighborhoods and even provide bat
houses, assuring hungry allies in the vicinity on those summer evenings outdoors.
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| 2020 US quarter |
And not just any bat house
will do, of course. Remember that bats
perch upside down and must drop down to fly, among other considerations taken
into account by batcon.org and/or these Good Housekeeping (so apropos a
source!) directions.
these three final “bat bits”: First, the 2020 US quarter features bats on one
side; second, there’s at least one tasty looking recipe for bat (-looking!) cookies
online; and finally, a webinar about bats this Wednesday (June 10, 3-4 pm) from
the Humane Society of the US will provide useful info about bats.
click on “learn more” in the blue box. Scroll
down from “If you are the meeting host. . .” and click on “Join meeting as an
Attendee.” On the next screen, register
to attend the webinar.
#
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| Peanut butter cups, Oreos & ???! |
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