|
Forget all the Halloween hullabaloo.
Never mind what you've seen in Dracula movies.
Vampire bats are no more likely to bother you than the bogeyman!
Yes, there really
are vampire bats. They live only in tropical regions of Central
and South America. Although they do feed on blood, it is usually animal
blood, which the bat drinks by making a quick slice with its sharp teeth
and lapping up a spoonful or two.
They do not
latch on and suck blood, and they certainly don't turn animals—or people—into vampires!
|
| Did you know
that vampire bats actually have helped people? Vampire bat
saliva contains chemicals - called anticoagulants - that keep
blood from clotting. From their research on vampire bats, scientists
have developed a medicine to help heart patients. Guess
what they called that drug? Draculin! |
Hit
or Myth?
You can't believe
everything you hear—especially when it comes to bats!
Bats are mysterious
creatures, to be sure. But the myths about bats that people commonly believe
to be true really give these fantastic flyers a bad reputation they don't
deserve!
Myth:
Bats are blind
echolocation
- a sort of radar - to find their way around, they can "see"
much better than any person!
Myth:
All bats have rabies
Not true. Like many
wild animals such as skunks, raccoons and foxes, bats can carry
rabies. But the chances of being bitten by and getting rabies from a bat
are extremely small. In fact, bee stings are actually way more
dangerous to people! No matter what, the best advice is never to touch
a bat or any other wild animal.
Myth:
Bats attack people
As mentioned above,
a few kinds of bats do attack animals as a source of food. Though it is
very rare, that sometimes can include people. However, most bats are gentle
animals and would much rather get out of a person's way than to attack
him or her. Would you pick a fight with something so much bigger than
you?
Myth:
Bats fly into people's hair
Simply not true. Silly,
and maybe even funny to picture, but it just doesn't happen.
Myth:
Bats are pests
Wrong. Bats are pest
control! A single bat can snap up over 600 mosquitoes in one hour
- consider them nature's best bug zappers! Bats also help control
agricultural pest insects and some species (kinds) of bats even take part
in the life cycle of plants by pollinating them.
Illustrations
by Dave Clegg
|
