• Do you think bats are scary?
• Do they all drink blood and attack people?
• Are they as "blind as a bat"?
• The answers may be surprising!

We chatted with Kim Williams at the Organization for Bat Conservation about bats and she shared some fascinating information about the true nature of bats, the importance of creating bat houses and how you can make your own bat house!!

Kim Williams is the Executive Director at the Organization for Bat Conservation. She has a Bachelors of Science degree in Zoology from Michigan State University and a Masters Degree in Biology from Eastern Michigan University. Her thesis focused on roosting preferences of the federally endangered Indiana bat. You can find her publications on the Indiana bat in many journals throughout the United States. Kim has been on such nationally syndicated shows as "Wild Things", Nickelodeon's "Figure It Out", and National Geographic's "Explorer". Kim is the author of various books, including "Understanding Bats", "Bat Basics", "Insect Eating Bats", "Fruit Bats", "Vampire Bats", "Nectar-feeding Bats", "Bats and Conservation", and "Michigan Bats and Their Habitats", and articles in scientific journals.

Kim has traveled throughout the United States and the world helping bats. One project Kim and OBC have worked on is saving the Spectacled Flying Foxes in Australia. These bats have been affected with a tick paralysis and during the months of October through January become very ill.

Joe:
You are the author of many books including Understanding Bats. Many people have good feelings about squirrels and birds, but why do you thinks bats are so misunderstood?

Kim:
Many people have seen scary movies with bats, and they are associated with Halloween and Dracula.

Joe:
How did you come to be interested in bats?

Kim:
I was working at a nature center and someone brought in a bat with a broken wing. I started learning about bats and became really interested in them. I went back to school to get my masters degree.

Joe:
What is the best way for a novice bat-lover to get involved with bats?
(more on building a bat house)

Kim:
Join an organization or volunteer at one that does bat conservation work.

Joe:
Do your children like bats? What kind of things do they do?

Kim:
I have one little girl that is almost two and she loves them. She just sits and watches them right now and yells out bat mommy, bat!

A line of spectacled flying foxes in Australia waiting to be fed.

We’ve all heard the frightening stories about bats: bats get in our hair, all bats have rabies, bats will drink your blood, just to name a few. Well, here is a fact sheet to let you know the truth about bats, so read on!

Yep, that’s right, bats are the only mammals that fly.
Flying squirrels glide.

• Because bats can fly they are placed in their own order- Chiroptera. Chiroptera is a Greek word, in English it means hand-wing.
• The wing of a bat is almost the same as your hand, but a bat’s fingers are elongated and they have skin that attaches to the fingers to allow them to fly.

You have no doubt heard many myths about bats,
but here’s the truth.

• Bats are not blind.
• Some bats actually have good eyesight.
• Bats do not make nests in your hair.
• Bats roost, they do not build nests.
• Bats will not attack people, they are very small and gentle animals. Remember, we are very large to a bat and they are afraid of us.
• All bats do not have rabies. However, like any other mammal bats can get rabies. Always make sure not to pick up or try to play with any wild animal. They are meant to be wild and left alone.

Wow! That’s great, anyone that will help bats deserves a medal, there are still so many people out there that dislike bats and even want to hurt them.

• There are many ways we can help bat populations. First, tell people about bats. Let them know not to be afraid, and not to hurt them. Teach people all you know about bats.
• We can help save bat habitat, or places where bats live. Bats like to live in marsh lands were there are many dead trees for them to roost in. Try to preserve our marshes by joining conservation organizations like the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, or the Organization for Bat Conservation.
• A bat house in your backyard gives bats a place to live. The new OBC houses simulate the loose and peeling bark of dead trees. It’s also a lot of fun to watch "your" bats come out to feed every night. Remember one bat eats over 600 mosquitoes in an hour, so you’ll have a natural pest control company in your backyard. Contact OBC for information on this new bat house design.