Post by jonsdigs on Jul 4, 2007 15:28:53 GMT -5
Things That Don’t Go Bump in the Night
July 3, 2007
By R. Craig Hensley
Special to LIVE!
The nightly emergence of a huge population of bats near San Antonio spirals out of Bracken Cave, home to estimated 20 million bats. The biological landmark is owned by Bat Conservation International, and contains the largest mammal population anywhere in the world. The emergence occurs over a full six-hour period every night. (Contributed photo/R. Craig Hensley)
Bats. Simply hearing their name brings fear to the hearts of many. Images of dark places—caves where they swirl in mass numbers, waiting ‘till dark when they can descend on society and suck the blood of unsuspecting people, fill the minds of the young and old alike. Bats blindly flying to and fro, getting stuck in your hair, and every one of them carrying rabies. Oh my!
The truth is, many bats do reside in dark places, they can roost in very large numbers, and yes, even a small percentage of bats carry rabies. Getting stuck in your hair? Hardly. Flying blind? Not a chance! Feeding on the blood of humans? Well, perhaps in the movies, but certainly not in Texas.
It turns out that the mythology of bats is far more dreadful than the reality. The truth is that bats play a number of critical roles in nature, from pollination and seed dispersal to eating incalculable numbers of insects.
Full Story
July 3, 2007
By R. Craig Hensley
Special to LIVE!
The nightly emergence of a huge population of bats near San Antonio spirals out of Bracken Cave, home to estimated 20 million bats. The biological landmark is owned by Bat Conservation International, and contains the largest mammal population anywhere in the world. The emergence occurs over a full six-hour period every night. (Contributed photo/R. Craig Hensley)
Bats. Simply hearing their name brings fear to the hearts of many. Images of dark places—caves where they swirl in mass numbers, waiting ‘till dark when they can descend on society and suck the blood of unsuspecting people, fill the minds of the young and old alike. Bats blindly flying to and fro, getting stuck in your hair, and every one of them carrying rabies. Oh my!
The truth is, many bats do reside in dark places, they can roost in very large numbers, and yes, even a small percentage of bats carry rabies. Getting stuck in your hair? Hardly. Flying blind? Not a chance! Feeding on the blood of humans? Well, perhaps in the movies, but certainly not in Texas.
It turns out that the mythology of bats is far more dreadful than the reality. The truth is that bats play a number of critical roles in nature, from pollination and seed dispersal to eating incalculable numbers of insects.
Full Story
