Animals n stuff #1 (Bats!)

Okay, so sort of a sad story that made me have the idea to share this blog. Slight trigger warning of death I suppose.

When I was walking into school one morning from my bus, it was the usual, no big deal. I had my headphones in and all I heard was a thud and a loud, hurt squeal. A bird had smashed into a window above a group of kids and fell to the ground. The bird died pretty quickly, I assume, but many people laughed mostly in shock or sneered at it like it was something absolutely appalling. It honestly physically hurt me to see, because I could tell it was a female- and with it being spring I could imagine she possibly had babies to feed, or all I could think about was how much pain she must've been in before she passed away, I was thinking about bringing her to someone so they could try to help her- and I regret not doing so, but I'm sure now that there was nothing I could do.

What bothered me the most from this moment, and what I took away, was a profound feeling of loneliness. My friend besides me laughed at the situation like it was funny, and people talked about only how gross the bird was as they walked inside. No one checked to see if the bird was still alive. Everyone saw her as a pest, and not another living thing. And it bothered me for days, the fact she was viewed less than or nothing. And the fact that she died because of humans, if the glass or building hadn't been there she would've been able to thrive like a normal bird. It showed me how disconnected a majority of my classmates are from the true world, how focused they (including myself) are on things that in the end only matter for a short amount of time. I personally feed birds a lot, and see their little habits and quirks, so it felt just as bad as losing a cat or a dog.

The reason I'm sharing this story with the public is because I think it's crucial that everyone understands our need for every single animal and life. As soon as I saw the bird, I went straight to one of the school's teachers and asked if we could put up specific UV bird window stickers to make them see that they can't fly through the glass.. and my friends mocked me and thought it was dumb that I did that, that I cared to put effort into some dumb bird who didn't matter. The bird didn't matter to them, but she matters to me. She changed my entire perspective, as strange as that is. In today's day and age, a majority of us humans have forgotten that even though we 'aren't' animals, we are all still a part of nature. We all still contribute and affect how our ecosystems function.

Anyhow, this is what brings me about sharing vital information about different animals in our world and why they're important so people will (hopefully) build more of an understanding and appreciated (and maybe even love) for the creatures that inhabit the world on a daily!

Today's animal is bats!

Bat's are very popular for their cute fruit bats and common appearance in alternative items and shows and what not, especially for being vampires!

But on a more scientific level, bats are the only true flying mammals with (as of sep of 2025) about 1,500 species of bats in the entire world with more to be discovered! According to the website Bat Conservation Trust, they say that "bats account for more than a quarter of mammal species in the UK and around 20% of all mammal species worldwide"!

They range in all different shapes and sizes, from the size of a medium adult cat to as small as a butterfly or smaller! In fact, bats can get sooo small that by skull size and body length, the bumblebee bat is the smallest mammal in the world! Measuring between 1 to 1.3 inches long, this bat is barely and larger than an actual bumblebee.
Bumblebee's can get pretty big anyways, but still cool! 

Bats are generally divided into two major groups: Megabats (fruit bats/flying foxes) and Microbats. Though even with these names, it can be the total other way around! Megabats can be small and Microbats can be quite large. Microbats were only classified as Microbats if they used actual echolocation, which is when they produce sound from their voice box! Otherwise they were classified as Megabats. Though with recent genetic studies and such, everything can get a little confusing. Example is the horseshoe bat family, tending to be insect eating and on the smaller scale) is more closely related to families of fruit bats than Microbats. Which basically disproves the use of Micro and Megabat names, so instead scientists are using Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, and Vespertilioniformes and Pteropodiformes... which are a lot harder to pronounce, I gave up while typing this honestly.

Bats all across the world eat many different things, like fruit, nectar from flowers, pollen, fish, frogs, blood, and even other bats (info from Bat Conservation Trust, I recommend checking them out- they have a lot of useful info!) 

Now for the most important part: Why are these silly goobers important to our ecosystems?

Well, for starters, they are most commonly recognized as natural pest control. Insect-eating bats consume humongous amounts of nocturnal bugs, and save U.S. agricultural industry billions every year by reducing the need for any chemical pesticides- while also lowering populations of mosquitoes, which commonly carry diseases. 

Not only are they pest control, but they're also counted as Pollinators! As ironic as it is that there is a bat named a bumblebee, Nectar-feeding bats are crucial pollinators for tropical and desert ecosystems. According to online sources, over 500 different plant species rely on them for pollination, which includes the agave plant- which they are the sole pollinators for! But also for trees like the baobab, which holds cultural significance. 

And as if they couldn't already be cooler, they also are planters! Well.. naturally. Fruit-eating bats eat fruits and excrete the seeds along their travels, their poop serves as both fertilizer and seed bombs that grow new fruit plants and trees- which makes them primary influences in early-growing reforestation in recently cleared areas!

Unfortunately, a significant amount of species of bats are heading towards extinction, 50% of North American bat species are at risk as well as roughly a quarter of all bat species. They face deforestation, loosing their homes while facing human activity with wind-turbine collisions, hunting, and the use of pesticides (which benefit almost no one but humans!) and a deadly fungal disease that has "decimated hibernating bat populations" killing up to 90% of species..

Most threatened:

Northern Long-eared bat (Federally endangered)
Gray bat (Federally endangered)
Tricolored bat (proposed endangered)
Indiana bat (Federally endangered)
Virginia big-eared bat (Federally Endangered)

While this sounds very bad, hope is not lost! There is always space for hope until proven otherwise, and conservation efforts are making a difference. From Bat Conservation International, they say the lesser long-nosed bat had become the first bat species to be removed from the endangered species list in the U.S. and Mexico because of targeted conservation work.

If you want to help, here are some ways!

- Bat house: These are basically the equivalent of bird houses, but for bats! Place them over 10 feet off the ground in a spot that gets at least six hours of sun, and make sure you install them in the spring or early fall.

-Reduce pesticides: Bats are insectivores, and chemicals that reduce their food supply can harm them directly when they try to eat!

-Gardening: Bats like to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while too! Planting native flowers that bloom in the night can attract moths and other night insects for them so snack on!

-Light pollution: turn off outdoor lights at night, as light can disrupt their commuting and foraging

-Leave dead trees: if you can, of course, leave standing dead trees since they provide natural roosting spots for bats!

-Keep your cats indoors: As odd as this one may seem, cats are a major cause of bat casualties. I've read other places too that domesticated cats can cause tremendous amounts of damage to ecosystems when left outside, since they are counted as invasive apex predators! So it's okay to let them out every once in a while, but it's recommended to keep a close eye on them! Trust me, I've experienced this issue myself.

-Water sources: Keeping ponds and water features clean and chemicals free allows bats to get a quick drink, as bats drink while flying!


I hope this inspires someone to research about bats some more, or- look into how you can help your local animals thrive the best way they can. It's important for us to all support each other, no matter if we have fur or feathers, or are just humans lol.

Let me know what you're favorite bat is! And share your opinions if you so please. Thanks for reading <3

Cool links!

- National Park service: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bats/conservation-at-home.htm
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals
-  Bat Conservation Trust: https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats
bat house information: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-house-guidelines/
- Bat houses _National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/Native-Plant-Habitats/Plant-Native/Habitat-Essentials/Build-a-Bat-House