Bats:Foes or Friends

AMBER SWINT

Why are bats important?

Most people would automatically answer this question simply, “because they eat insects”. But bats do so much more than just chomp on the nuisance of a mosquito. Bats are vital to the health of ecosystems and economies. Bats help control insect populations, most importantly, agriculturally damaging pests. Some bats also help pollenate vital plants and disperse seeds (fruit eating bats) to help plant growth. Even bats “byproducts” are beneficial; as people use bat droppings as a rich natural fertilizer.

Benefits of Bats:

-Pesky Pest Controllers

-Seed Dispersers

-Pollinators

-Fertilizers

How can people help bats?

The absolute most important thing people can do to help bats, and essentially help human health as well, is the prevent deforestation at all cost. As the bats environment is invaded and eradicated, they are extinguished and further forced into new environments which can cause many issues for both humans and bats; including spread of disease and extinction.

Another huge issue effecting the bat population and overall health is the use of pesticides. There are two main issues with this:-Pesticides diminish the bats main food source-Pesticides taint the bats main food sourcePesticides are hurting the bat and animal population overall.

Human study and donations toward how to help prevent bat extinction (including disease amongst species).

How do bats perceive the world?

We know that bats primarily experience the world by echolocation; detecting the reflections of their sounds from objects within range. But have you ever thought about how bats perceive the world? Most bats have some extent of vision. Some can actually see better than us. But a bats echolocation is like their arms, hands, eyes and ears all combined as one extra super-sense. Soaring through the thick trees of the forest, a bats echo bounces off a large moth to let the bat sense that it is only inches in front of him before he snatches it up and gulps it down for dinner. I envision the world looking dim, but feeling very large and active to a bat because of all of the constant and contrasting sounds in their environment.

Bats are some of the most unique and helpful creatures on this planet. As a human, imagining living in a world of sound sensitivity and perception like the bats is difficult. But for the bat, it gives them a strong advantage when hunting and surviving in the wild. 

Bats Are Our Friends!

The End!