While a few Common Vampire bats may roost in

a hollow tree, the majority of bats are very ben-

eficial. It is a mistake to think that destroying bat
roosts will control “vampire bats”. Instead it will
do immense damage to local populations of bats
and have a serious impact on the health of our
environment.
“Blind as a bat”—False!
Bats are not blind and most see very well. They
do have very acute hearing and rely on echolo-
cation to navigate in their environment and find
food.

Bats use sonar or echolocation. Bats are “flying” rats—False!

They send out a high frequency sound (> 20 kHz), Bats are not related to rats at all, but are more
well above the range of human hearing. They closely related to primates (monkeys). The Cre-
use the echo coming back to navigate when they ole term “Rat-Bat” most likely originated from
are flying in the dark and to find insects. Each people seeing rats scurrying along the roof of
species has a unique vocal signature, which al- buildings during the day and then seeing bats fly-
Proboscis bat (Rhynchonycteris naso) is com- lows scientists to use bat detectors to record and ing out from under the roof in the night.
monly seen during the day roosting under trees identify bats flying during the dark of night. Many people think there are only two
or rock ledges that hang over rivers and streams.
Bats were very important to the mythology kinds of bats in Belize, those that eat and
Bats are the night crew in the Neotropics. damage fruit and the vampire bat—False!
of the Ancient Maya.
Bats do the same things that birds do in the day:
Bats symbolized the In fact there are 78 species. Bats make up more
• Hummingbirds—Nectar bats
land of the dead, the than 52% of the terrestrial mammal diversity for
• Hawks-Eagles—Predator bats
underworld of the Belize and are responsible for pollinating many
• Kingfishers—Fishing bats
Maya. The bat god is important plants as well as eating vast amounts
• Insect-eating birds—Many insect-eating bats
“Camazotz”. El Zotz, of insects each night.
• Frugivorous birds—Fruit bats
means “bat” in Maya
Bats smoke cigarettes—False!
Bats are good indicators of environmental (symbol right).
Bats can get tangled in one’s hair—False!
health. If we lose the bats and the critical eco-
system services they provide, we may lose much False Myths and Misunderstandings
of the tropical forests and vegetation. All bats have rabies and are carriers of
Bats are very interesting creatures. disease—False!
• Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Only two of the 78 bat species found in Belize are
• Bats generally have one baby per year. “vampire” bats.
• Bats live for 15-25 years. 1) The Hairy-legged Vampire Bat feeds only on
• The smallest bats in Belize are merely 2 inches wild birds and is very rare.
long and weigh 3 grams. 2) The Common Vampire Bat may feed on domes-
• The largest bats in Belize are 6 inches and tic livestock, as well as wild animals, and may
weigh nearly 200 grams. become an agriculture pest.
• Many species of bats share the same roosting The disease rabies can be transmitted from in-
areas: caves, cracks in rocks, hollow trees, fected domestic livestock to healthy livestock by
under bark, under leaves (palms), rolled Common Vampire Bats. If your dogs and cats are
leaves (banana, heliconia), self-constructed immunized and livestock are well tended, the This Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus parnelli)
tents, and man-made structures (under roofs). risk is very small. is echo locating.
 3) Do not start fires in caves or hollow trees
where bats are roosting. The smoke and the
carbon monoxide build up will not only kill count-
Why Bats?
less individuals and many species, but all other
living things inside.
4) Do not attempt to poison bats roosting in
buildings. There are no chemicals that work and
any attempts to poison bats is dangerous. The
use of pesticides only increases the chances that
children and pets will be exposed to these envi-
ronmental hazards.
Removing Bats from Buildings
Bats roost in dark, undisturbed areas, such as
attics and wall spaces. The entry points are of-
ten near the roof edge, such as under the eaves,
loose boards, zinc or tiles on the roof. The best
This elegant bat is the Elegant Myotis (Myotis elegans).
way to remove bats from buildings is to seal off
Risks to Bats the entry points, but care must be taken to avoid
• Ignorance of the importance of bats blocking the bats inside the roost where they
• Disturbance or destruction of bat roosting will die. One method is to hang plastic window
areas screening from above the openings with staples
• Destruction of bat foraging habitats or duct tape, letting it extend, unattached at the
bottom, to one foot below the openings. This al-
Bats are not only important to environmental
lows the bats to leave but not enter again. Af-
health, but also critical to the survival of Neo-
ter a week these openings can be sealed. But do
tropical flora and fauna and, therefore, to our
not attempt this in May, June or July as they will
survival.
likely have babies then.
With tropical forests helping to reduce carbon di-
oxide that is contributing to global warming, we
Please do your part to ensure that these im- Bats are very important!
portant creatures survive in Belize!
cannot afford to lose our tropical vegetation and Bats provide critical ecosystem services:
we cannot ignore the silent nocturnal majority— Neotropical Bat Project • Bats pollinate many fruits. Without bats
Bats! Here are some simple rules to follow that bananas, mangos and guavas would not
will protect bats. For more information, contact:
Dr. Bruce W. Miller produce fruits!
1) Never pick up or handle bats especially in <bats@hughes.net> • Bats disperse seeds in open areas. The habitat
caves. They are delicate and the stress may regenerates as the “seed rain” from the bats
cause them to die. Sponsored by: start colonizing plant species that provide for
birds and other animals.
2) Do not enter caves and make loud noises,
• Bats eat many, many insects! One bat can eat
shine bright lights or throw things at roosting
600 mosquitoes per hour and most bats you
bats to make them fly. If they have nursing young
see flying at night eat insects.
they may fall and die. Bats cannot tolerate such
disturbance and in many cases populations be- Bats are critical for mammalian biodiversity:
come locally extinct due to thoughtless people • More than half of the mammals in Belizean
in caves. Many species cannot live anywhere else lands are bats.
but in a few selected cave sites. If driven out • 78 species of bats are in Belize.
by heavy disturbance they will simply die as they • Nine bat families occur in the New World and
cannot roost under other conditions. six of these are only in the Neotropics.