Batman reflects his namesake in North Carolina
Port Discover: Visitor Services Manager
Having the characteristics of a bat might not be
useful unless you are Batman. You certainly would not want to be a “dingbat”, or
“an old bat,” or “have bats in your belfry,” or “be blind as a bat.”
When Batman comics appeared in the 1940s, the hero
took on some of the traits of the mammal of the Chiroptera order which means
“hand-winged.” He was stealth and intelligent, worked in the dark, and was a
friend to people.
An abundance of mystery and lore surrounds this
creature which is so helpful to humanity. People are naturally suspicious of an
animal that flies in the dark, sleeps upside-down, and has a menacing
appearance. Classic tales like Dracula promoted the idea that bats were evil
creatures.
Most bats eat insects, nectar, pollen, or fruit, but
three species do require blood meals and are referred to as vampire bats. From
that reality came the myth that bats like to bite people and often carry rabies.
In North Carolina, you are much more likely to run into a raccoon, skunk, or fox
that is rabid than a bat.
Of the 17 species that live in North Carolina, seven
are endangered. Bat Cave in Henderson County is an unincorporated community
which takes its name from an actual cave which is the largest granite fissure
cave in North America.
The 300 by 85 foot cave is the home of the
endangered Indiana bat and is owned by the Nature Conservancy which works to
protect the animals. People are not allowed to enter the cave, and hiking near
the cave is prohibited because bats have been greatly affected by white noise
syndrome.
Bats which are nocturnal are not truly blind but
like most mammals do have difficulty seeing in the dark. They use an internal
radar system called echolocation to maneuver. By vocalizing clicks which bounce
back to them from surfaces, the bats can determine where to fly.
One thousand species of bats make up one-fifth of
all mammal species worldwide. They are the only mammals that have true sustained
flight. Other animals, such as the flying squirrel, actually glide.
A colony of 1,000 bats can consume 22 pounds of
insects in one night. One bat can eat 25 percent of its weight in one meal. That
would equal about 36 pounds of food for a person weighing 150 pounds. They eat
far more insects than purple martins, and are also helpful with pollination and
seed distribution.
The small creatures are predators of the hornworm
moth which can devastate tobacco crops in North Carolina. Peru is a major
exporter of bat waist or guano, an extremely effective fertilizer because of its
high nitrogen, phosphate and potassium content.
Like so many organisms today, bats are victims of
the world’s population increase and other environmental factors. People can help
by installing bat boxes around their homes and planting native species which
attract insects for the bats to eat. Like Batman, they are not our enemies.
