Shattering myths about British Bats

By adminAnimal Mythbusters, Fun Facts
Stamp illustration of a bat in flight

An introduction

There are approximately 1,400 species of bat in the world.
Bats are more closesly related to humans than mice.
Bats usually hibernate in the winter when insects are scarce.
18/1400 species of bat live in the UK.
Bats are very sociable and live in colonies
Bats found in the UK only eat insects.

Flight…

Bats fly with their hands

Mythbusting time…

Myth: Bats fly into your hair

Bats do not fly into your hair. It's a myth made up to scare children (and adults) from out in the dark.

Myth: Vampire bats live in Transylvania

Vampire bats do not live in transylvania.

Myth: All bats are blind*

Myth: Vampire bats like human blood*

Vampire bats feed on live cattle and other livestock

Myth: Vampire bats are monsters

There are 3 species of vampire bat.

Vampire bats live in central and south america

* Vision quality varies across the 1,400 species of bat. Poor night vision applies to british bats.
* There are RARE cases of humans being bitten by vampire bats.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Resources

Bats are protected by law. The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) is the only national organisation solely devoted to the conservation of bats and their habitats in the UK. They have a wealth of information and resources for you to use including fact files on all 18 species of British Bat.

Visit Bats.org.uk