It’s Halloween which means it’s time for spooky ghosts and scary bats! But one researcher argues bats, including Virginia’s own state bat, are more helpful than scary.
After William and Mary conservation biology professor Dave Waldien left the army, went to college and spent a weekend on an assignment studying bats, and he fell in love.
“It’s just that diversity of what they do that intrigued me,” he told Radio IQ in the midst of spooky season.
Waldien said bats play an important part in our ecosystems, and also our economies. They act as pollinators for some of your favorite tropical fruits -like agave fruit for tequila- and help keep pest populations low here in the US.
“Bats are saving farmers billions of dollars every year," he said, boosting their benefits as natural ag pest controllers, reducing reliance on pesticide use.
Virginia also has its own state bat: the Virginia big-eared bat. It was designated by the legislature about 20 years ago, and while Waldien hasn’t seen the state bat in person, in part because of its endangered status, he said the name accurately describes them.
“It’s got these huge ears, hence its name, it’s got a couple of lumps on its nose, it’s a very light bat,” he said.
The ears and nose bumps are likely part of echolocation, they use high frequency sound to hunt for food. But you’re unlikely to hear those calls at night. When you hear them, like this group of Virginia Big-eared bats via a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources video, those calls are bats communicating.
Waldien says they’re probably not talking about harming you or your little ghosts and ghoulies either. The Virginia big-eared bat, like most bat species, are not known to attack humans.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
