STARKVILLE, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Bats in Mississippi may look spooky around Halloween. However, experts say these small animals help people all year long. The Mississippi State University Extension Service shared bat facts on Facebook on Monday. The post also tells you what to do if a bat gets inside your home.
Fifteen kinds of bats live in Mississippi, according to MSU Extension. Around the world, there are about 1,400 kinds. They live on six continents.
Why bats matter
Bats do important work in nature. For example, they spread seeds and carry pollen that helps plants grow. They also eat bugs that bother people and harm crops, including mosquitoes.
In fact, most bats can eat up to half their body weight in insects in one night, Extension says. Every kind of bat in Mississippi eats insects, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Bats help plants in other places, too. For instance, they are the main pollinators of wild agave plants. They also carry pollen for many plants in deserts and rainforests.
Fun facts about bats
Here are a few more facts from MSU Extension.
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly.
Their scientific group is called Chiroptera. The name comes from Greek words that mean hand and wing.
Most kinds of bats have only one baby, called a pup, each year. So bat numbers grow back slowly.
What to do if a bat gets in your house
Sometimes a bat flies in through an open door or window. Other bats squeeze through small cracks into attics or walls.
If that happens, do not touch the bat. Like other wild animals, bats can carry germs that make people sick.
Leave the room, close the door and do not release the bat before possible exposure is assessed.
Call the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks for help. You can reach the agency’s Jackson office at (601) 432-2199 for wildlife problems. Above all, Extension says not to handle the bat yourself for any reason.
Some bats are protected by law
Federal law protects some bats. That is because they help nature and their numbers are dropping. As a result, harming or killing certain bats can get you in legal trouble.
Three bats found in Mississippi are on the federal endangered list, MDWFP says. They are the gray bat, the Indiana bat and the northern long-eared bat. The agency also says the tricolored bat has been proposed for that list.
A disease called white-nose syndrome is a big reason. It has killed more than 5.7 million bats in North America, MDWFP says.
Learn more
This week is also Bat Week. It is held each year from Oct. 24 to 31 to celebrate bats.
To learn more, read the full bat fact page from MSU Extension.
