this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2025
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Bats
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Bats are cool
Bats are the only true flying mammals. There are over 1,400 species of bats, and they can be found on nearly every part of the planet. Not only are they cute, they are also important...
Studying how bats use echolocation has helped scientists develop navigational aids for the blind. Without bats’ pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control we wouldn’t have bananas, avocados, mangoes, agave, or cacao… that’s right, bats bring us tequila and chocolate!
Found a bat in need of help?
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Do not handle it with bare hands! Bats can carry rabies.
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Here's a map of worldwide rescues and temporary care instructions.
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Bats should never be kept as pets: Here's why.
Celebrate bats with us!
Our community's mascot is Baxter. Baxter is an Egyptian fruit bat that was cruelly kept alone and confined to a small cage for 12 years before being rescued by a bat sanctuary. You can read the full story by clicking on his name.
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I like bats, but I think it's them being a major disease reservoir that's off putting for many people. I'm really happy for them doing their own thing in the wild. I'm glad they're protected. Still I definitely don't want to be anywhere near a wild bat. I would enjoy handling a bat at rescue, though.
That’s fair, they do carry rabies although very very few people actually die of rabies in the states. It’s a good idea to stay away from bats in the wild especially if you see one during the day. But in my experience, a lot of people think they “look gross” or “will fly into my hair” which is not the case at all.
Flying foxes are especially adorable, but even the ones famous for being ugly (hammer-headed bats, round-eared bats, vampire bats, long-eared bats, etc.) are still pretty cute.
For some reason the hair thing makes me imagine a species of bat that collects hair. It looks like a bunch of bats in wigs in my mind, like a bat with a beehive hairdo, for example.
My neighbor’s house has really old compressed panel siding, and the bats just love living under it. Dozens and dozens and dozens of them. They probably do the same under my garage siding and I just haven’t noticed.
As a result, I occasionally have bats find their way in. Probably 6 times in 13 years. First couple times it was really alarming, right up there with cluster flies and equally harmless.
I either shoo them out an open door, or catch them in a small box, and release them by taking the box outside and opening it, then leaving. They do fly around to get away from me, but they don’t really come close to touching me unless I’m flailing around or whatever. It’s wild seeing them roost on a door frame or something inside, upside down, and have them just sort of let me catch them because they don’t want to be there but can’t get out.
Some bats eat bugs, like mosquitoes. At work we have some high flood lights at night and you can watch the bats darting in and out like a buffet. A yard that has a bat house nearby has few mosquito problems. Placing them well is hard to do though, it's not like a bird feeder.
It is really cool to see them do their thing. They're really important for the ecosystem.
Edit: Spelling