With The Dark Knight Rises premiering this week, we wanted to revisit our assertions and add even more amazing reasons why Bruce Wayne should take a backseat to the bats of the world.

One in Five Mammal Species is a Bat

About one in every five species of mammal is a bat, which is to say, there are nearly 1,250 bat species out of about 5,700 mammal species (these numbers vary from source-to-source and time-to-time both because of the vagaries of classification and the discovery of new species).

The ability of bats to produce so many species is a sign that they can adapt to a wide variety of habitats and means they are among the most biologically successful, if not the most biologically successful, group of mammals.

Bats are Better Fliers than Birds

The lesser long-nosed bat (below) is a great example of why wings have made bats the successes they are today, after more than 52 million years of evolution.

An Arizona lesser long-nosed bat caught feeding on pollen by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Greg Tucker.

The wings are composed of the elongated fingers of the bat’s forelimb with a thin webbing of furred skin stretching between the fingers to create the flying surface. Because these wings are thinner than those of feathery birds, bats are better fliers than birds, capable of more rapid and precise turns. Nerve receptors in the wings help bats sense changes in air flow and even to use their wings as nets to catch insect prey.

Wings have allowed them to be highly adaptable and to turn up in some unexpected places…

Photograph of Costa Rican bats by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Timothy Potter.

Some Bats Sleep in Groups, Which May Number in the Millions

Bats flutter and settle in a Panama cave, photographed by Michael Drake, an entrant in the National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Bats Have Advanced Foraging Skills, Using Sonar and Sound

Bats tend to be specialized in their foraging habits. Those that hunt flying insects may use a form of sonar or echolocation—while flying, they emit sounds that bounce off nearby objects. The echo helps the bat locate what lies ahead, including such prey as moths and mosquitoes. Some bats eat insects on the ground, but they also use highly developed hearing to locate their prey.

The unusual-looking bat below has an appetite for an altogether different type of food:

Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Bejat A. McCracken.

Some Bats Eat Fruit

Not all bats eat other animals, including the largest of the bats:

Erik Seidel, National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant, captured this image of fruit bats in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Bats Usually Have Only One Baby at a Time

Bats may range widely in size and food preferences, but there is one thing almost all have in common…

A flying fox mother and her offspring roost in a hut in South Africa. Image by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Pauline Kamath.

Mothers feed newborns with milk and bring food to older young, which cannot fend for themselves until they are able to fly.

Producing only one young at a time means that bats breed relatively slowly. Individuals of some species can live 20 years, however, giving them time to produce sufficient offspring for species survival. But such a slow birth rate can make bats vulnerable to die offs, such as one occurring now in the United States.

More Than a Million Bats Have Died From White-Nose Syndrome in North America

A little brown bat shows the characteristic white nose of a bat infected with the deadly fungus Geomyces destructans. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A close-up of an Indiana bat pictures a creature that is increasingly rare from loss of cave hibernating sites and white-nose syndrome. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The little brown bat (an infected specimen, above) has shown some adaptability that may help it survive: a socially roosting species that is one of the most common bats in the Northeast, it seems to be shifting into solitary roosting in parts of its range, according to new research from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

“Our analysis suggests that the little brown bats are probably not going to go extinct, because they are changing their social behavior in a way that will result in them persisting at smaller populations,” says A. Marm Kilpatrick, one of the researchers.

The social-roosting Indiana bat (right) may not be so lucky—the Santa Cruz researchers believe it will decline toward extinction.

Bats have survived for at least 52 million years, outliving woolly mammoths and saber-tooth cats, but now face threats such as human encroachment on the caves they use for sleeping and nesting, loss of watering sites in arid parts of the nation, as well as white-nose syndrome.

State and federal agencies are attempting to limit human activity in bat caves, which also may help reduce the spread of diseases from cave to cave.

Batman, as the new film undoubtedly will show, always triumphs over his enemies. For real bats—such as the long-eared bat (below), which is becoming locally extinct in some areas because of white-nose syndrome—the outcome is a lot more iffy.

The long ears on this big-eared, or long-eared, bat indicate a species that hunts by echolocation. During hibernation the animal may roll up its ears. Some 19 species of big-eared bat occur in the Old and New Worlds. Local populations in parts of the United States are disappearing because of white-nose syndrome. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bonus Fact: What is the World’s Smallest Bat?

The world’s smallest bat is the bumblebee bat (also called Kitti’s hog-nosed bat), with a body less than an inch and a half long and weighing around 0.07 ounces. It feeds on insects.

Extra Credit Reading

• Most bats are nocturnal. What should you do if you see one in the daytime?
• Kids: Learn more about fruit bats, the world’s biggest bat species.
• A Kid Quiz on bats
• Creating Backyard Habitat: building a bat house.
• Sign up to make your backyard a Certified Wildlife Habitat

A Big Brown bat eating a meal worm. Photo credit: MABlevins, 2012

As I’m no expert on bats (I fall under the “Oh, they’re so cute!” category), I’ve asked the National Wildlife Federation’s Naturalist David Mizejewski to shine some light (no pun intended) on these fascinating, flying friends.

1) Should we be alarmed to see bats in our neighborhoods?

David: There are several species of bats common to the DC area so this sighting is not anything to be alarmed about. Bats play an important role in the ecosystem by preying on insects, some of which are pests (beetles and moths in particular, and also to some degree mosquitoes).

2) But what about seeing a bat during the daytime?

David: Bats are indeed nocturnal but just seeing one in daytime doesn’t mean anything is wrong with it.

3) What should we do if we see a bat in the daytime?

David:The rule of thumb when encountering any wild animal, at any time of the day, applies here: it’s ok to watch and appreciate, but never approach or try to handle it –let wildlife be wild.  If you follow this rule, you’ll never have a dangerous encounter with wildlife.

A Big Brown bat. Photo Credit: MABlevins, 2012

4) What should we do if a bat does indeed look “sick?”

David: If you see clear signs of illness such as erratic movement, loss of fear of humans, aggression, mouth foaming, etc. leave the area and report it to animal control.

5) How can we help bats?

David: Bats can use all the help we can give them.  We’ve trashed their habitat, and now an epidemic called White Nose Syndrome has wiped out about 6 million bats in just the last few years.  One easy way to help bats in your neighborhood is by putting up a bat box.

So regardless of what side of the “batty” spectrum you’re on– love them or fear them–you can become an animal ambassador by educating others on how to help protect bats (and yourself) if one ever lands itself on your window. Because as much as we all wish that bats were vampires (like those in the HBO series TrueBlood), bats are simple yet important creatures–and at the end of the day, merely misunderstood.

Wildlife-Friendly DMV: Keep it Local, Keep it Wild

Wildlife-Friendly DMV connects wildlife enthusiasts in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to local wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation. I will share with you the wildlife and nature where I “roam,” and bring to life the stories of people around our region who speak up for wildlife.

Jorge, a Hoary bat. MABlevins/NWF

Leslie Sturges asked for someone to flip the light switch off.  As the room went dark, she flipped on the spotlight attached to her camera.  The lens adjusted back and forth, and back—and then came into focus.

Sturges held a bat. A brown bat—a Big Brown bat named Smiley.  It was a Friday night in Northern Virginia, where regional bat expert Sturges conducted an educational class on bats at the Walker Nature Education Center.

As Sturges held Smiley, he ate meal worms out of a bowl and she shared with the kids and parents that bats are in trouble because of a disease called white-nose syndrome.

Hands flew into the air.

“What’s white-nose syndrome?” asked a parent.

“White-nose syndrome is a powdery, white fungus that covers a bat’s muzzles during hibernation, making them sick,” said Sturges.

As a wildlife educator, Sturges teaches kids and parents about the importance of bats.  As a wildlife protector, she lets kids know they can help protect these creatures spreading the word about white-nose syndrome through Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat campaign.

White-Nose, what?

Sturges, president of Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat campaign, was involved with white-nose syndrome early.   She remembers when it first appeared 40 miles outside of Albany, New York in 2006, and no one knew what it was.

Little brown bat affected by White-nose syndrome (Photo credit: USFWS)

This new disease was identified as Geomyces destructans, a cold-loving fungus that is said to have crossed into America from Europe.  Bats are susceptible to white-nose syndrome because the fungus breeds in caves or abandoned mines, popular hibernation spots for 46 bat species found in Canada and the United States.

As news about white-nose syndrome developed, Sturges became concerned when biologists and scientists in the Northeast would claim that the public knew about white-nose syndrome.  She was more alarmed when policy leaders would tell her that no one really cared about bats.

“I’m out doing education [programs] and lots of people care about bats—kids care about bats,” said Sturges. “But I did realize I had a problem when I asked a room full of 100 people if they had heard of white-nose syndrome and only two people raised their hand.”

Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat

It was that day that Sturges decided she needed to make white-nose syndrome accessible to kids. Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat launched in March 2010.  Although Lucy is a fictional bat, she represents all bats that are in trouble because of white-nose syndrome, and provides a story line and pictures for the kids.

“I use Save Lucy as the education platform to raise awareness and let kids feel empowered to do something,” said Sturges.  “No one explicitly tells kids that they have a voice—they can write letters to their senators or make posters and educate their family and friends– they can help determine how things are handled in the world.”

Sturges standing in the flight cage behind her house in Annandale, Virginia. MABlevins/NWF

Sturges runs the Save Lucy Campaign out of her basement and backyard, where she has a bat rehabilitation facility and flight cage, an outdoor screened-in building where young bats learn to fly. Depending on the month, there are 12-60 orphaned or injured bats in her care.  An average day for Sturges includes going to work as the Montgomery County Parks Naturalist and then going to a school or library to do a Save Lucy program where she brings along educational bats.

“I educate people that bats are not Halloween vampires, but important species that keep insects in check by eating up to one-third of their body weight a night,” said Sturges.

And with white-nose syndrome entering its fifth hibernation season (bats enter hibernation October each year), busting Halloween myths about bats is only even half of Sturges battle; it’s finding new ways to use her basement, flying cage, Certified Wildlife Habitat backyard, and Save Lucy campaign to educate all kids and parents that something must be done to protect bats.

“…Champion of nature’s underdogs.”

Since 2006, white-nose syndrome has killed more than a million bats among six species and has spread north to Canada and as far south as Tennessee and North Carolina. As reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, in some locations mortality in bat colonies has reached 95 percent.

“I’ve always been a champion of nature’s underdogs,” said Sturges. ““And now more than ever, bats need our help.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you arrive at the Save Lucy website, you can take action to help bats, join the Save Lucy Club, record your bat observations and donate to the campaign.

With the Save Lucy Campaign turning two in March, the program has picked up, with an average audience of 50 to 100 people in the region.  She shows kids real bats, like Mooch and Smiley, goes outside to listen to bats as they echo-locate, and encourages families to get involved, such as building bat boxes  for them to have a safe place to go.

But most importantly, Sturges encourages people to share Lucy’s story.

“All kids and parents can help Lucy by visiting our website and learning what white-nose syndrome is and raise visibility to this problem,” said Sturges. “Because I’ll say it time and time again: when kids care about something, they have the power to change it for the future.”

The clip above is one of Sturges’ bats echo-locating. For additional pictures of the bats in Sturges’ rehabilitation facility click here.

Wildlife-Friendly DMV: Keep it Local, Keep it “Wild”

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.

Birds dropped out of the sky, dead fish covered miles of the surface of rivers and bays, the media started digging up any reference to mass animal deaths they could find, and the public voiced a growing concern about what it all meant.

These kinds of die-offs are unusual but not unheard of in the nature, and so the good news is that while alarming, they don’t mean the world is ending and probably won’t have too much impact on the overall survival of the species that have experienced them.

While most wildlife experts see little cause for significant concern with these events, there are some mass wildlife deaths that we really should be worrying about.

5. Colony Collapse Disorder

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) causes honey bees to mysteriously abandon their hives and die. First reported in the United States in 2006, scientists are still trying to figure out the exact causes. While not native to North America, honey bees are critically important for the pollination of over 100 crops that both people and our livestock rely on for food. Eighty percent of all crop pollination service in the U.S. is provided by honey bees, which means that one-third of all the food we eat is directly the result of these insects. Honey bees also play an important role pollinating wild plants that wildlife depend on for survival. This mass die-off of honey bees could have significant economic and ecological repercussions.

Theories for the cause of CCD include infestation by exotic mites, viruses, a fungus, pesticides or other chemical pollutants, global warming, stress on hives from industrial beekeeping practices, or a combination of these factors that is suddenly pushing millions of honey bee hives over their tipping point and ultimately to death. While native pollinators can help fill in the gap caused by honey bee CCD, unexplained mass die-offs in several native bumble bee species are now also being reported.

4. White-Nosed Syndrome

North American bats are dropping like flies as a result of this mysterious ailment, which is characterized by the growth of a white fungus on the face of bats that hibernate in colonies in caves during the winter. The bats repeatedly wake up from their hibernation and fly about despite the cold temperatures and lack of insect food. In doing so, the bats burn off critical calories and ultimately die. Some bat hibernation caves have experienced mortality rates as high as 99 percent and since 2006 millions of bats have succumbed.

Scientists don’t know if the fungus is the cause of the odd behavior and killing bats directly, or if it is simply a secondary symptom of some other problem. One thing is certain, White-Nosed Syndrome has spread rapidly across the country, adding additional threat to endangered species such as the Indiana bat and drastically reducing once-common species like the little brown bat. Scientists are still searching for a clue as to the cause of these devastating mass bat deaths.

3. Global Amphibian Decline

Amphibians are often considered to be ecological “canaries in the coal mine” because their sensitive skin allows for the exchange of gas and liquids, making them particularly vulnerable to pollution and other disturbances to their habitat. As a result, amphibians are often the first group of animals to die out in disturbed or polluted environments. Dying out is exactly what amphibians are doing all around the world, and scientists don’t know why.

As with Colony Collapse Disorder, any number of causes could be at work either by themselves or in concert, including air and water pollution, global warming, habitat destruction, invasive species and most notably the type of chytrid fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or “Bd” for short. This fungus was discovered in 1999 and has been rapidly spreading and killing mass numbers of amphibians on several continents, including both North and South America, Europe and Australia. As with White-Nose Syndrome in bats, it’s not known whether this chytrid fungus is a new, random pathogen or if it has always been present and is only now spreading because of other, as-yet-unknown reasons. The statistics are frightening: thirty percent of amphibian species on the planet are listed as either threatened or endangered and another six percent are listed as near threatened. Scientists don’t know the status of another twenty-five percent.

2. Gulf Oil Disaster

The official wildlife body count of the Gulf Oil Disaster is 5,686 dead birds, 546 dead sea turtles, and 96 dead dolphins and whales. And that’s just the animals that rescue workers were able to recover in the vast area of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the millions of gallons of oil that gushed into the Gulf’s waters and coastal wetlands when BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. It’s doubtless that the wildlife death toll is more likely in the millions when you factor in open ocean species such as sperm whales or whale sharks that sink when dead or that might not immediately die but eventually succumb to slow poisoning as they eat contaminated food, as well as the fish and marine invertebrates that have also died but for which no one has a count. Even worse, judging from previous oil disasters such as the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, we can expect wildlife will continue to die for months, years or even decades as a result of this disaster.

1. Global Warming

The scale of the impact that global warming is predicted to have on wildlife across the planet can’t be understated.

We are already experiencing the rapid melting of glaciers, more severe storms, an increase in droughts, wildfires and flooding events, the spread of invasive species, and the record decline in Arctic sea ice making the long-term survival of species such as ringed seals and polar bears uncertain.

Countless other wildlife species around the globe will be negatively affected as global warming destabilizes ecosystems unless we act quickly to change the root causes.

It is called the National Wildlife Health Center and is located in Madison, Wisconsin.  It is part of the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey.

We like to think of it as “Wildlife CSI.”

Each year, wildlife managers across the nation see or are notified of sick and dead animals, frequently on a large scale.  Sometimes these are the result of disease, such as the recent massive fish kill on the Arkansas River and sometimes the cause is harder to explain such as the blackbird deaths we saw recently in Beebe Arkansas.

Minimizing the spread of wildlife losses depends on effective technical and scientific support, knowledgeable guidance, and fast action.  The National Wildlife Health Center was established is to help with national and international wildlife health concerns. It acts somewhat like a Centers for Disease Control for wildlife.  It monitors disease and assesses the impact of disease on wildlife, examines ecological relationships leading to the occurrence of disease and offers on-site help to reduce wildlife losses when outbreaks occur.

In addition to the recent blackbird mystery, which the media has labeled “aflockalpyse,” the Center looks at other mysteries such as a recent set of songbird beak deformities in Alaska, avian influenza, and the scary white-nosed fungus syndrome that is killing off millions of bats in the East.   The Center maintains an online Mortality Event Map.

The Center staff teams also provide counsel to local people on animal welfare regulations and how they apply to wildlife.

Little brown bat affected by White-nose syndrome (Photo credit: USFWS)

It’s almost Halloween and there is no better time to spotlight an animal in need of our attention: bats!

Bat populations across the northeastern United States are being destroyed by a deadly new fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome. As the name suggests, this fungus burrows into the live tissue of hibernating bats, covering their muzzles, ears, and sometimes wings with white fuzz.

A fuzzy appearance is just one symptom of the disease. A bigger issue is that hibernating bats with white-nose syndrome became emaciated and lose most of their body fat. This is a huge problem for hibernating bats, which rely upon stored energy to survive the winter. Although nobody yet knows exactly how the disease operates, Scientists hypothesize that bats infected with the fungus may wake up more frequently during hibernation, causing them to burn through energy and eventually starve to death.

White-nose syndrome was first discovered in February 2006 in Howes Cave near Albany, NY. In just four years, it has spread nearly halfway across the country. Because bats can fly long distances and tend to congregate in large numbers, the disease seems to spread easily from bat to bat, and to new caves.

The effect of white-nose syndrome on bat populations is truly devastating. In one year, 30-99% of the bats in infected hibernacula may die. A recent study in the journal Science predicts that as a result of white-nose syndrome, the little brown bat—one of the most common North American bats—may become extinct within the next sixteen years. The little brown bat is just one of seven hibernating bat species in North America currently affected by white-nose syndrome. Other species affected by the disease include the Indiana bat, which is already listed as an endangered species.

The loss of so many bats will not go unnoticed! Bats can eat up to half their body weight a night in insects. Without bats patrolling our skies, agricultural pests and crop damage could increase. Furthermore, bats are a keystone species in cave ecosystems. Cave dwelling invertebrates and micro-organisms depend upon bat guano for food. Without bats, cave ecosystem function will be disrupted.

You can celebrate Halloween and help save bats by doing the following:

1. Report unusual bat activity (e.g. bats flying outside during the daytime in winter) to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
2. Abide by cave closures and decontaminate caving equipment after each cave visit.
3. Tell your friends and family about white-nose syndrome and why it is important to conserve bats.
4. You can learn more about bats on NWF’s website.  Also check out white-nose syndrome resources like the USGS website and this neat video put together by the Fish and Wildlife Service and US Forest Service

Sounds like the average bat if you ask me. We have thousands of little heroes saving us every night–it’s just a matter of knowing why bats are just as awesome (even more so) then Batman.

1. They take out thousands of pests

While Batman is tough on inner-city pests, a small brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour. And bats don’t just stop at mosquitoes; they eat a large number of other insects like beetles and moths that are agricultural pests.

Species like the  big brown bat are known for being very helpful when it comes to bug control. The California leaf-nosed bat is so agile, it can swoop down and grab beetles, crickets and grasshoppers right off the ground.

So if you have a pest problem, put a little bat house on the side of your home and fight off the bugs the natural way!

2. They bring us awesome food like mangoes and tequila

Do you like tequila? How about mangoes? Both of these would suffer greatly if we didn’t have bats. Fruit bats make up about 30% of the bat population and play a huge role in pollinating essential crops like agave, from which tequila is made. Seeds dropped by bats can also account for up to 95 percent of forest regrowth on cleared land. In fact, it’s known that more than 300 plant species in the tropics alone rely on the pollinating and seed dispersal of bats.

3. They have an expansive range

While Batman’s range is fairly restricted to the city limits of Gotham, bats have a much more expansive range. Depending on the species, they can cover hundreds of miles in a single night, hunting for insects, drinking at water holes and pollinating plants. We certainly are being watched over!

4. They are the ONLY flying mammals

That’s right, while Bruce Wayne can glide, bats can really fly! While you may hear of “flying” animals like squirrels, bats are the only mammals that can truly fly. The others simply glide.

5. Echolocation…that says it all

In the most recent Batman movie, the Caped Crusader uses something resembling echolocation, but it’s nothing compared to the real thing. A number of bat species have this “feature” built in! Bats that use echolocation often have big ears and really funky looking faces. Those faces help capture sound waves bouncing off of prey and other objects and funnel those waves to the ears. Bats that don’t use echolocation, like fruit bats, actually have big eyes to see in the dark and long dog-like faces (some are called “flying foxes” because of this). Here’s a great shot of one.

6. Even their poo is helpful

To my knowledge, the Dark Knight has never developed a bowel-related superpower (thank goodness). Bat guano, however, not only makes a great fertilizer, it is the sole habitat for some animal species! That’s the making of a real hero–when even poo has helpful qualities.

7. They help the whole ecosystem, not just one city

Bats are key species to helping their habitats flourish. Not only do they eat insects and pollinate crops, but they also serve as prey for predators like hawks and owls.

I don’t know about you…but when I shine the bat symbol, I have a completely different idea of the response I want. I want more bats! Unfortunately, a number of bat species (both in and out of North America) are at risk. They are suffering from a White Nose epidemic and are also falling victim to habitat destruction. We can take a turn in doing the saving of these little heroes.

To see a list of bat superheroes–Read this excellent bat guide (pdf). And to help bats, find out how you can build your own bat box.