(WWJ) -- What's furry, flying, essential to our ecosystem, unfairly feared and misunderstood?
The bat!
It's Bat Week — an international celebration from Oct. 24 to 31 each year, which the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says is the perfect time to spotlight these fascinating creatures, and their importance to our state and the world.
Michigan is home to nine species of bats:
• Little Brown Bat (typically found in Northern Michigan)
• Northern Long-eared Bat (mostly living in forests)
• Evening Bat (a threatened species found in southern Michigan)
• Hoary Bat (has dark hairs tipped with white)
• Big Brown Bat (most common bat to be found in Metro Detroit)
• Tri-colored Bat (found in the Upper Peninsula)
• Indiana Bat (an endangered species)
• Silver-haired Bat (black coat tipped in silver; uncommon in Michigan)
• Eastern Red Bat (common in Michigan; likes to roost in trees)
**Important to note: Not one of these bat species want to drink your blood, and all of them are insectivores — meaning they eat exclusively insects.
Want to see fewer pesky mosquitoes around? Make your property more hospitable to bats! The U.S. Forest Service says just one little brown bat can easily catch 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour , and a nursing mother eats approximately 4,500 insects every night.
According to Bat Conservation International , eating insects is by far the most common diet found among the 1,450-plus species of bats worldwide, which benefits our ecosystems by keeping many insect species in balance.
Many bats also play an important role as plant pollinators . More than 500 plant species rely on bats to pollinate their flowers. including banana, mango, durian and guava, as well as agave — which is used to make tequila. So, do a shot and thank a bat!
Dispelling a couple of popular myths: Bats are in fact not blind, and actually have very sensitive vision as well as echolocation to help them navigate and find food. Also contrary to popular belief, bats are not interested in flying into your hair, and are very unlikely to do so.
Unfortunately, many bat species are facing challenges. The Michigan DNR, along with its partners, is working to conserve bats and bat habitats because many species are in decline due to habitat loss, diminished food supply and disease.
White-nose syndrome is a deadly disease that affects North American bats primarily during their winter hibernation and has devastated many bat species. Infected bats prematurely awaken from hibernation, rapidly deplete their fat reserves and do not survive the winter. Bats with this disease often exhibit unusual behavior, like flying during daylight hours or gathering outside of hibernacula (mines and caves) in cold weather.
Here are a few things you can do to help bats:
• Plant a bat-friendly garden and minimize the use of insecticides.
• Remove invasive species .
• Install a bat house in a location not frequented by people. ( Here's a good one available from Amazon , or you, if you're crafty, you can build your own ).
• Do not enter closed mines.
• Follow decontamination guidelines to help reduce the spread of white-nose syndrome.
Learn more about bats and ways you can take action during Bat Week, and all year long, at BatWeek.org .
Find more information on Michigan's bat species and ways to help at Michigan.gov/Bats .
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