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Scientists have discovered that vampire bat saliva is better at keeping blood from clotting than any known medicine. Vampire bats may one day help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Not all bats are vampires.  Of the world’s 1100+ species, only three are vampire bats limited mostly to Latin America. Vampire bats are very small (about the size of a package of M&Ms). Vampire bats do not attack humans or suck our blood; they prefer to get their teaspoon-sized meals from other animals.

Bats are not ugly or dirty. Most bats have very cute faces, some even resemble deer, rabbits, and little Chihuahuas. Like cats, bats spend an enormous amount of time grooming their fur, keeping it soft and silky.

Bats are wild animals, and all wild animals can be dangerous. Additionally, grounded bats are more likely to be sick so they should never be rescued bare-handed.

Bats are shy, gentle, and intelligent. They are among the slowest reproducing animals on earth. Most bat species have only one live young per year.

microbats eat insects, blood (small quantities of the blood of animals), small mammals, and fish

Mother bats usually have only one offspring per year

they are viviparous

Young microbats become independent at the age of 6 to 8 weeks

At the age of two years, bats are sexually mature

megabats not until they are four months old

A single bat can live over 20 years

Most microbats are active at night or at twilight

In Western Culture, the bat is often a symbol of the night and its foreboding nature

the rain interferes with their echo location

Only three species sustain themselves with blood.

Only 0.5% of bats carry rabies

Bats have very small teeth and can bite a sleeping person without being felt

Bats are closely associated with vampires

Bats are also a symbol of ghosts, death, and disease

Chinese lore claims the bat is a symbol of longevity and happiness

the bat is a trickster spirit

Bats rarely fly in rain

A measure of the success of bats is their estimated total of about 1,100 species worldwide, accounting for about 20 percent of all mammal species.

Bats have excellent night vision. Fruit bats use their eyesight and sense of smell to find fruits and flowers. Bats that hunt insects, fish, or frogs can also "see" with sound. This is called echolocation. Bats that use echolocation usually have large ears and leaf-shaped flaps of skin on their noses. This helps them direct the high frequency sounds they make.

Depending on the species, bats can be gray, brown, white or reddish brown.

Bats have teeth and chew their food. Seventy percent of all bats eat insects. One bat can eat more than a thousand insects in one hour!

The largest bats have a wingspan of more than six feet. However, most are smaller.

Many people do not like bats and are afraid of them because they think all bats have rabies. Rabies is a virus that is transmitted to animals and people through animal bites. A study by the University of Florida has shown less than one-half of 1 percent of all bats have rabies. It is more likely for a person to be bitten by an unvaccinated dog or cat.

People also think vampire bats will try to attack humans. That is simply not true.

Bats are not a danger to people and are actually quite valuable. Very few carry rabies, and they help to control the insect population. They also help seed new plants and pollinate our crops!

A bat will eat half its weight in insects in a single night.

Fewer people have died from bat rabies during the past 40 years than have died from dog bites or bee stings in a single year.

Although the bat is not blind, its eyes are best adapted to seeing in the dark, and see in only black-and-white.

The thumbs of the forefoot are small, equipped with sharp claws and not connected to the membrane.

Bats are very shy creatures and like most wild animals, avoid contact with humans while going about their business of eating, reproducing and avoiding predators.

When a bat returns to its roost for its upside-down sleep, it will spend as much as 30 minutes cleaning itself before settling down to sleep.

Some species of bats prefer to live alone in trees.

Nearly all bats that live in the United States feed on insects.

Mating may occur two or even three times a year

Bats have many natural enemies and large numbers of them die while still young.

The most significant causes of premature bat death, however, are the activities of people.

Bat droppings (guano) support entire ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents and producing gasohol and antibiotics.