Page 5 - Jupiter West - February '22

Jupiter West, Page 5
Northern Notes

Going Batty There are many myths maintaining Florida’s native bat populations. You can
and misconceptions help bats by learning more about them and sharing bat
By Katie Roundtree, regarding bats. Bats are not information with others. Fear and misunderstanding are
Director of Finance and blind. They have the same some of the worst enemies of bats. This is why education
Administration, Northern five senses we do: smelling, is so important. Bat houses are also a perfect way to get
Palm Beach County hearing, tasting, seeing and involved in conservation. A bat house in your backyard
Improvement District feeling. Some bats, however, will provide bats with a much needed, safe place to
Florida is home to have highly developed live. They will also do you the return favor of eating
approximately 13 species sonar capabilities, called insects around the area. You can also help by supporting
of bats year-round. These “echolocation.” Bats conservation groups that protect wildlife habitats and
flying mammals are a produce echolocation by preserve natural lands.
critical part of Florida’s emitting high frequency For more information go to The Florida Bat
natural ecosystem. They sound pulses through their Conservancy’s website at www.floridabats.org or the
are extraordinary animals mouth or nose and listening Source: UF Florida Wildlife University of Florida’s Florida Wildlife Extension at www.
that are misunderstood by many. to the echo. With this echo, Extension wec.ufl.edu/extension.
Bats are unique animals and are not flying rodents. the bat can determine the NPDES tip: Planting a rain garden with native plants
Although some mammals can glide, bats are the only size, shape and texture of objects in its environment. Bat somewhere around your home helps lock rainwater in the
mammal that can truly fly. Scientists have classified echolocation is so sophisticated that these animals can ground, reducing the flow of pollutants and poisons into
bats into a unique group or order called “Chiroptera,” detect an object the width of a human hair. the drains. Using organic fertilizers and pesticides in your
which means “hand wing.” Bats literally fly with their Bats do not attack people just for spite. They are garden further protects and brings health to your yard and
hands! Their wings are much like our hands, but with generally timid animals and prefer to stay away from all the species living there.
longer fingers and a thin, but tough, membrane (skin) humans. Vampire bats do not live in the United States.
between the fingers. Worldwide there are over 1,000 They are only found in southern Mexico, Central and
species of bats. From the fossil records we have learned South America. Believe With Me from page 1
that bats existed over 65 million years ago. Today, they The most common misconception that people have
inhabit all areas of the globe except Antarctica and the is that all bats are rabid. This is not true. Studies have
extreme desert regions, but most bat species live in the shown that less than 1 percent of bats contract rabies and
tropics. The most common bats in south Florida include when they do, they usually die within three or four days.
the Brazilian free-tailed bat, big brown bat, Seminole bat Although they do not become aggressive, they can end
and the evening bat. up on the ground or someplace they do not belong and if
Bats eat a variety of things, including insects, fruit, handled may bite in self-defense and transmit a disease.
nectar, fish and small vertebrates, but only three species Never handle a wild bat with your bare hands and make
feed on blood. Bats also come in many different colors, sure your pet’s vaccinations are current. Never handle or
shapes and sizes. The largest bat in the world is the play with any wild animals, including bats. They are
Malayan flying fox, a fruit-eater. It can weigh over 2½ wild and meant to be left alone.
pounds and have a wingspan of over 6 feet! The smallest Bats are disappearing at alarming rates. Disturbance
bat is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, an insect-eater, or destruction of roost sites due to development and
which weighs less than a penny and has a wingspan of vandalism is the greatest threat to the world’s bats. Most
only 5 inches. Most bats in Florida eat insects. They prey bats living in Florida prefer to roost in mature or dead
upon insects that are pests to humans and agriculture. trees or in caves. However, many bats are squeezed out
Insectivorous bats can eat their body weight in insects of urban areas due to loss of habitat or take up residence
each night, which means up to 3,000 insects in just one in buildings and become the targets for abuse. Public
night! education and preservation of roost sites are the keys to

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