“Rats with wings”, “they suck your blood”, “they get caught in your hair”, “they carry diseases”; when I was young I heard all of these things about bats. Thankfully, in my schooling, I gained clarity into these rumors and common misconceptions. The fact that these creatures are so misunderstood endears them to me. While it is true, bats can drink your blood, these “vampire bats” are the minority of the approximate 1,240 species. The vast majority are frugivorous or insectivorous, meaning they eat fruit or insects. While our class is studying tropical ecology in Costa Rica, I chose to study the Jamaican Fruit Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis).
Source: http://www.arkive.org/jamaican-fruit-eating-bat/artibeus-jamaicensis/
This tropical species is social and lives in maternity colonies, groups of 8-14 females protected by 1-2 males. I was surprised to learn they can live to 9 years in the wild! The Jamaican Fruit Bat is not sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females are similar in appearance with short fur ranging from grey to black to brown with a white facial stripe above and below each eye. A distinguishing facial feature is V-shaped bumps on their chins. They have a wingspan of 16 inches and no external tail. The photo above shows a mother bat carrying its child, one of the “pups” they will have twice a year after a 4 month gestation period.
These nocturnal flying mammals can be found feeding off fig trees, their primary source of food. When their favorite meal is unavailable, such as during the dry season, they will eat nectar and flower parts of other plants, or insects. Surprise! Bats are not blind. They see quite well actually. This particular species uses short notes of echolocation through their leaf-shaped noses to navigate through the dense canopy of the tropical rainforest. Their short notes have earned them the nickname “whisper bats”. Other than echolocation, they use their sight and olfactory senses (smell) to find their prey (fruit or insects).
To clarify the earlier misconceptions, they are unlikely to get caught in your hair but it is true they can carry disease; typically they are associated with rabies. Nevertheless, it is no different from your dog carrying rabies. The best way to prevent rabies exposure is to not touch or go near bats, especially when they are showing unusual behavior like being on the ground.
The Jamaican Fruit Bat is listed by the IUCN as “least concern”, meaning their populations are not experiencing grave threats. Their natural predators are barn owls, boa constrictors, raptors, other snakes, and mammals. As they are abundant and widely dispersed through the tropical areas of the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, extending into Central America, there are currently monitoring efforts but no active conservation efforts.
These beautiful creatures of the night are fascinating and I could go on about them forever. But I will spare you the experience. Until next time!!