Did you know……………
Blind as a bat? Not really. Bats are best adapted to seeing in the dark, but only in black and white. Bat fossiles date back to more than 50 million years. There are more than 18 species of bats in North America, and 8 of them inhabit the Southwest deserts of California. Bats collectively consume many hundreds of thousands of tons of insects each year. And in some parts of the world including the Mojave Desert, bats take the place of bees in pollinating night-blooming flowers. Most people believe that all bats carry rabies, but in truth, fewer people have died from bat rabies in the past 40 years than have died from dog bites or bee stings in a single year. BUT, never handle a bat that appears unable to fly or is found on the ground. Left alone, bats pose no threats to humans, but will bite when first captured and handled. Bats are a healthy part of our environment and our world. Did you know you can even adopt a bat?! For more information on adopting a bat or free plans to build a bat house as class projects, you can go to Bat Conservation International.