Bats drink on the wing, like swallows, by sipping the surface, as they play over pools and streams.

Gilbert White

International Bat Night encourages us to learn more about this mostly nocturnal creature. It takes place each year during last full weekend of August. Bat Night started in 1997 and thirty countries celebrate the event to inform the public about the needs and benefits of bats in nature.

Despite what movies and novels might say, bats play an important part in keeping balance in nature. They consume insects that spread disease and damage crops. In the United States, little brown bats common in Kansas, use their echolocation to eat over 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour. Bats help distribute plants by passing seeds through their feces. The spread of Guano seeds through bats is the main factor for tropical rainforest deforestation.

Learn about International Bat Night

International Bat Night is a date that takes place every year to celebrate these creatures, with a number of different bat events taking place around the world for the public to get involved with. These events give you the opportunity to help bat conservation and to learn more about these creatures. There are talks at dusk and fun bat walks; it is definitely the sort of activity you should experience at least once, as it will give you a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with these incredible animals and to learn more about them.

6 Incredible facts about bats

• There are over 1,400 species of bats worldwide.
• Not all bats hibernate
•  Without bats, say goodbye to bananas, avocados, and mangoes ( as over 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination. )
• Bats are the only flying mammal
• The longest-living bat is 41 years old.
• Like cats, bats clean themselves

History of International Bat Night

International Bat Night was established to help promote the good image of bats, and to help start creating some clarity on the facts about them above and beyond the rumors and Hollywood image. While we often think of bats as nocturnal predators feasting on the blood of the innocent and harboring rabies, the truth is quite different. Yes, there are bats that feed on blood, but they mostly feed on insects and believe us, you want bats to be out there patrolling the night and helping eliminate them.

Bats are one of the major contributors to keeping down obnoxious night insects like mosquitoes, and if you’re a camper, you know how unpleasant mosquitoes can make an otherwise pleasant camping expedition. There are also bats that feed on nectar and fruit, and actually help to pollinate and spread the seed of plants, in many cases they’re the only ones working to help those plants procreate!

These are just the beginnings of the wonders that bats possess, and there is far more just a flicker away, and International Bat Night is a great time to spend learning about them!