"That night, Lucy spends the night with the Sewards. As she sleeps, a large bat flies into her room that transforms into Dracula. He leans over her sleeping body to bite Lucy on the neck and drink her blood."

BATS have become somewhat synonymous with the image and idea of the vampire. In countless movies and cartoons, we see Dracula transform himself into a bat.

So how did bats end up becoming associated with vampires?  During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors first came into contact with them and recognized the similarity between the feeding habits of the bats (vampire species) and those of their mythical vampires. It wasn't long before they began to associate bats with their vampire legends. Over the following centuries the association became stronger and was used by various people, including James Malcom Rhymer who wrote Varney the Vampyre in the 1840's. Stoker cemented the linkage of bats and vampires in the minds of the general public.

For comprehensive information about  bats and the conservation of bats, visit  

Bat Conservation International. By becoming a member, not only will you help protect precious bat species, you will receive informative newsletters updating members of their efforts. You can also Adopt a Bat and become a loving "parent" to a needy bat.

Though we are not affiliated with BatCon, we at Things That Go Boo fully support BatCon! Use the following link to access their website:

http://www.batcon.org

ALERT: Nearly 40% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered or threatened. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide.

• They are the only mammals that can fly.

• They live much of their lives hanging upside down.

• Most species are only active at night, dusk and dawn, spending their days in dark caves.

• There are more than 1,000 bat species in the world. About a fourth of all mammals species!

• They use echolocation to find their prey. With echolocation the bat can determine where the prey is, how big it is and in what direction it is moving!

• Bats live in caves, bridges, buildings, bat houses, and even trees.

• Food sources: insects, pollen, fruit, animals/fish and blood.

• The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand which weighs about as much as a dime.

• Vampire bats adopt orphans, and are one of the few mammals known to risk their own lives to share food with less fortunate roost-mates.

• Bats are very clean animals and groom themselves often to keep their fur clean.
  Only the vampire bat species feed on blood for sustenance. The vampire bat must first prick the animal with its two large front teeth, often in the foot or leg of a sleeping mammal or bird. An anticoagulant in the vampire's saliva causes the blood to flow without clotting. They only drink 2 tablespoons of blood while the host animal continues to sleep.

• The pallid bat (see above) of western North America is immune to the stings of the scorpions and centipedes upon which it feeds.

                                              Adorable baby bats!

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