Halloween Countdown: 5 Fun Facts About Bats

A few days ago, I dispelled some myths about werewolves—and sure, if I ran into one, I'd be scared. But of course the werewolf—half man, half wolf—is more myth than fact, no matter what X-Men would try and have you believe.

But bats? They're real... And while I'm not especially scared of them, I think they get a bad reputation thanks to fictional characters like Dracula. And of course, bats do have pointy teeth that look very sharp.

They're actually kind of cute though, and thanks to some research I dug up, they're not as scary as I thought. Seriously.

Check out these five fun facts and tell me if it changes your perception of them.

1. Bats are the only mammals able to fly. In fact, bats are exceptional in the air. Their wings are thin, giving them what is called, in flight terms, "airfoil." The power bats have to push forward is called "propulsion."

2. A single brown bat can catch around 1,200 mosquito-size insects in one hour. In Bracken Cave, Texas, it's estimated that the 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live there eat about 200 tons of insects . . . each night.

3. Vampire bats don't suck blood. They lap it up. Don't worry—there are only three species of vampire bats in the whole world. If you're traveling in Central or South America, however, you might see a vampire bat bite a cow and then lick blood from the wound, no sucking involved.

4. Due to movies and television, bats are thought to be germ machines, bringing disease and toxins to innocent victims. Not true. Bats avoid people. If you are bitten by a bat, go to the doctor, but don't start making funeral arrangements—chances are, you'll be fine.

5. Bats don't see very well and do a lot of living at night, so they have to rely on navigational methods other than sight. Bats send out beeps and listen for variations in the echoes that bounce back at them and that's how they get around. Bats are nocturnal, mostly because it's easier to hunt bugs and stay out of the way of predators when it's dark. Bats do use their eyesight to see things in the daytime, but most bat business is done under the blanket of night for convenience.

See! I don't think bats are scary at all—they're just misunderstood.

Gotta jet! See you tomorrow for another Halloween Countdown post.

~ Chase Superman Duffy