BOO! Animals that Scare Us!
October is here with Halloween and
many other cultural celebrations to bring us closer to
Fall and cooler weather. (and hopefully spending more time outdoors!)
Halloween also brings out some traditional animals we tend to
decorate (or dress as) to be "creepy and spooky."
Ideas on what those animals are?
You bet! SPIDERS......BATS......WOLVES.....some
may say Owls, rats and black cats. What comes to mind when you see these
animals?
Since your students will be seeing these decorated at school, home
and any retail store, let's talk some facts about these amazing creatures!
BATS
What do you think about
when you hear a bat or see a bat?
I remember
my first bat experience – and it was not in person. And it was probably what
the stereotypical reaction to bats is – negative and creepy. My opinion of
bats, even at a young age, was based on myths reflected in TV shows, movies and
books. Why would I think they are creepy? Well, they come out at night, they
are associated with vampires and they live in caves. As a 6 year old and
growing up, I would define that as creepy. In retrospect, it is more along the
lines as the misunderstanding of a flying mammal. (another oddity to add to the
“creepy” list, wouldn’t you say?)
Let me tell
you. I loved my monthly Zoobooks! They
always fed my curiosity, my thirst for wildlife facts and even little tips
towards conservation – and NEVER disappointed me. So of course I was going to
read it despite the subject. My Zoobooks
gave me accurate information about bats – anatomy, habitats, and food sources
for different species, described how echolocation worked and even myths. That’s
right, it took time to address those myths so I knew how to distinguish between
fictional information and the reality.
So bats
kinda have a bad reputation, but at that point, I was willing to understand
they were a “good” creature in an ecosystem.
But honestly, they were still on my “creepy animal” list.
My next bat
encounter happened when I was an adult on a family trip and got to see them in
flight at Carlsbad
Caverns National Park (New Mexico).
After a day
of walking the caverns, we sat outside the cave entrance, near sunset, with
hundreds of other visitors from across the World to see the creepy bats. A Park Ranger told us some cool facts about
the creatures: like they are born
hairless and blind, they are the only true flying mammal and they eat insects!
They let us know how sensitive they are to electronic devices during their exit
flight, and to be respectful and quiet while we watch them exit. These bats
happened to be insectivores, feeding on insects for miles and miles. Over
500,000 Brazilian Free Tailed bats were about to fly out!
I remember
this experience vividly. The evening was full of color from the recent sunset
and there was a cool breeze. Everyone was in total silence as you could
gradually here the humming of thousands of wings beating towards us. And then
goose bumps! These little winged creatures funneling out of a long, dark cave
to open freedom and fresh air. In perfect harmony as they blasted past out in
search of the night’s food. Occasionally you could hear their squeaks. No one
spoke. Everyone there was in total amazement of these creatures.
It was a
total opposite experience of the first time I “saw” a bat. I officially did not
think they were creepy anymore. Have you had a bat viewing experience? How was it and did it change your opinion of the flying creature?
And that’s
kinda, why I think, it makes for a particularly good creature for Halloween and
mysteries. From first impressions, these creatures have a “costume” of
creepiness, but when you look at the true creature, you find a very cool one
indeed. Lots of Halloween stories involve mistaken identities, tall-tales and
speculation.
Let’s
reflect on my bat encounters (and do so on your own bat encounters). How drastically
different these experiences were. What made them so different? An indirect
experience versus direct experience? Fictional, skewed information based on
myths versus accurate information backed by scientific observation and data?
Age? Environment? Being alone versus being with family and friends?
Experience
is the key word. I had a memory made with family, outdoors, watching a creepy,
yet eerily magnificent animal with just enough facts to keep it real, and
enough mystery to make it feel magical.
So why don’t
we try to give more experiences like that for our students? Experiences like
this increase knowledge and awareness, while also reducing fear and debunking
inaccuracy. Sure sometimes access to experiences is a constraint, so let’s
start with the facts.
(Remember to never handle bats or other wild animals! )
Get to know your Bat Neighbor
Here are some facts that grabbed my attention:- Texas is home to the most bat species in the US. We are home to 32 of 47 species found in the US!
- Bat moms know their pups (that’s what an immature bat is called) from hundreds of others based on its smell!
- bats can eat their body weight in insects in one night. Ummm, could you imagine eating your body weight in Halloween candy? :)
- Echolocation to navigate the dark is one cool function.
- Some species of bats are considered a pollinator!!!
Bat Conservation International – Kidz Cave
|
Fun, quick facts, videos, coloring sheets
and crafts!
http://www.batcon.org/resources/media-education/learning |
The Nature Conservancy (some cools pics!)
|
10 Quick Facts about Bats –
Always good info paired with beautiful pictures. |
National Geographic
|
Bats have an Appreciation Day to celebrate
them – April 17. These pictures reflect their beauty.
|
Live Science
|
Live Science has accurate information to
build further inquiry on many scientific disciplines.
https://www.livescience.com/28272-bats.html |
Texas Parks & Wildlife
|
Learn more about the most popular bat in
Texas – the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
(this site also shows the anatomy of the
bat AND bat viewing etiquette – super important as a conservationist and
wildlife viewer)
|
National Geographic KiDS
|
Bat Myths Busted!
|
CNN Travel
|
When they say everything is bigger in
Texas, they mean it! Check out the largest bat colony in the world, Bracken
Cave…
|
National Park Service
|
Bats, bats, bats – everything the NPS has
on bats, right here. PLUS, a great way to think about the national parks you
would like to visit in order to have your first bat viewing experience!
|
American Library Association
|
Batty About Bats – Book List
I challenge you to find these, in your
school library or in your local library!
|
National Wildlife Federation
|
Build a Bat House!
Great family project to that you can show
your parents all your mad math, science, reading, drawing and building skills
all in one!
|
How did
reading, viewing images or the video change your perceptions of bats? Leave a
comment below to let me know more about your perceptions.
Bats are
another creature we need to support a healthy, balanced ecosystem. If we eliminated bats(like loss of their habitat), how would that effect the communities surrounding
their caves? Sure we think they are creepy by looks and habits, but after
reading about them, I hope you have an understanding of why we still need them
in our world – and not just as a Halloween decoration, costume or story. Maybe
your interest is peaked and you can plan a family trip in the spring and summer
to experience your first bat viewing. Or share a cool fact
whenever you see a bat decoration. :)
Feed your curiosity with more than just candy this month. Take a chance one late evening, with your family, to sit outside and listen/look for bats eating bugs - maybe even read one of those bat books you find in the library. If you do not notice them, why might that be? You might be surprised what you find!
Get outside!
OutdoorAmy
Great bat blog for Halloween, Amy! Love the details, description, and compassion in your writing! - Sheila
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheila! :)
DeleteBeautiful background pictures too!
ReplyDeleteNational Geographic has some amazing photos! So does the Nature Conservancy.
ReplyDelete