Nightlife at Landis Woods

Bats are one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. However, they are very beneficial to the environment and are in danger of disappearing. It is important to learn more about them in order to appreciate and protect them.There are nine species of bats in PA. They are the Little Brown Bat, Indiana Bat, Northern Long-Eared Bat, Small-Footed Bat, Silver-Haired Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle, Big Brown Bat, Red Bat and Hoary Bat. Two others, the Seminole Bat and Evening Bat, are rare visitors from the South. Bats belong to the Order Chiroptera, which means “hand wing.” They are the only mammals that fly. Their wings are unfurred, thin membranes of skin stretched across slender finger bones.  Pennsylvania bats range in size from the hoary bat (length, 5 inches; wingspread, 15 inches; weight, 1 ounce) to the tricolored bat (length, 3 inches; wingspread, 9 inches; weight, 2 ounces). The most common bat in PA is the Little Brown Bat.

All Pennsylvania bats belong to the Family Vespertilionidae and are also known as evening bats or common bats. They are insect eaters, hunting and catching insects while flying or gleaning them from vegetation. Look for bats flying erratically in the evening sky. Chances are, they are doing you a favor. One bat can eat 500 insects in an hour. A bat can consume more than its body weight in insects in a single night. Just think how many insects a colony of bats can eat in one evening! Pretty impressive!

There are many misconceptions about bats. Many people believe bats are prone to rabies, bats are dirty, bats attack people, bat droppings are a source of tuberculosis and other disease, and bats are blind.

·      Rabies – Bats can contract rabies like any other mammal. However, they are NOT more likely to contract rabies than are other mammals. As with any animal, you should not handle them, especially if you find one on the ground or out in the open during the day. Rabid bats are rarely aggressive.

·      Dirty – Bats must keep themselves very clean in order to fly. Bats are as clean as house cats.  They constantly groom themselves in order to be agile flyers. They do not host any more parasites than other wild animals. Any parasites they may have are specialized to bats, causing no threat to humans.

·      Attack – Bats do not attack people – not even rabid ones! If they fly close to you, chances are they are looking for tasty insects flying around you. A bat will not get stuck in your hair!

·      Blind – Bats are not blind. Bats can see. However, their eyes are small and have limited use. Their ears are large and well developed. They find food by using echolocation. They make a series of high-pitched squeaks that echo off objects and bounce back to their ears. These sounds are so high, it is difficult for humans to hear them. Their quick reflexes help them dodge objects and catch their prey. 

Disappearance

Hibernating bat populations are decreasing throughout PA from White-Nose Syndrome. White-Nose Syndrome was first documented in New York in the winter of 2006-2007. It is believed to have surfaced in PA in 2008. It began killing bats in 2009.

White fungus grows on the muzzles and wing membranes of affected bats during hibernation. The fungus is not harmful to humans and does not grow on bats in the summer months when they are active.

The fungus is confirmed to be the causative agent of the disease. The cause of mortality is not fully understood. However, it is shown that affected bats arouse too frequently using up important fat reserves. Loss of these fat reserves may cause mortality later in the hibernation season.

To learn more about White-Nose Syndrome and what is being done to help bats, visit the websites listed below. There are also plans on these sites to help you build a bat box. This is one way you can do your part to help local bat populations.

PA Game Commission

Bat Conservation International

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This is one of 11 (eleven) informational signs at Landis Woods Park.