OkcPets Magazine November 2022

18 OKC Pets • November / December 2022 Celebrate the Wild Ones Native Creatures Are Part of Fall Holidays by Inger Giuffrida, executive director, WildCare Oklahoma H olidays often have animals associ- ated with them. In February, we all look to a groundhog in Pennsylva- nia to tell us whether we will have six more weeks of winter. In the spring, we await the arrival of the Easter bunny, which hides chicken eggs for children to discover. And of course, the bald eagle is associated with all of our national holidays, from the Fourth of July to Veterans Day. This article will explore wildlife that we often think of in autumn. Bats Fill a Unique Ecological Niche Bats are found on every continent except Antarctica, and worldwide, there are more than 1,400 species of bats. Bats are the only flying mammals, which means they are warm-blooded and furred and nurse their young. Most bats are exclusively nocturnal — they sleep during the day and hunt, eat, and live their lives at night. Bats roost during the day in dark, quiet places. You might think of caves, but most bats roost in trees, using the foliage as cover. Some bats also roost in attics, eaves, and bat boxes. Because they are nocturnal, they do not directly compete with diurnal birds, who often are out in search of similar food sources — flying insects, fruit, pollen, and nectar. Most bat species are insectivorous (about 70 percent of them). That means their diet is completely comprised of insects. The other 30 percent of bats eat a variety of food sources, including fish, frogs, nectar, sap, pollen, and fruit. Just like other animals that visit plants for food, bats play an important and irreplaceable role as pol- linators and seed distributors. The human food supply relies on bats as well as bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. With insectivorous bats, the numbers and amount of food they can consume is impressive. In a single evening, an average bat will eat as much as 50 percent of its body weight in insects. And many of those are the insects that annoy humans the most — mosquitoes, biting flies, and agricultural pest insects. A lactating female bat might consume as much as 100 percent of her body weight in insects. That enables her to produce enough milk to support her babies, called pups. So if you have only five bats hunting in your yard throughout the spring and summer, that small group will have eaten at least 12 pounds of flying insects. So how did bats get a spooky reputation? One reason is that they are nocturnal by nature — they are one of the few nonin- sects that you can see flying in the night. And as the only flying mammal, they have some of the qualities of birds and rodents. During Samhain, a Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of the new year, people lighted bonfires in celebration. Firelight attracted insects, which attracted bats. People likely This rescued evening bat looks suitably fierce. Bats are the only flying mammals, and some people find them spooky because they fly only at night and are associated with vampire legends. Photo courtesy of WildCare Oklahoma.