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BAT
BEHAVIOR
What most people believe about bats isn't even true. Because bats
fly at night and are shy, they have been difficult to understand.
People fear most what they understand least.
Bats are among the most gentle, beneficial, and even necessary
animals on earth. They occupy almost every habitat worldwide, eating
insects, pollinating flowers, and dispersing the seeds that make
rain forests grow. Wherever bats are found they are essential elements
in nature's delicate web of life.
Many people still believe that bats are blind flying mice that
carry disease and become entangled in women's hair. However, bats
are more closely related to humans than to mice, none are blind,
and they are far too clever to entangle themselves in anyone's hair.
Bats seldom transmit disease to people or pets, and our concerns
should be no different from those we apply to other wild animals.
Do not attempt to handle them, and there is little to fear.
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