5 Awesome Reasons To Celebrate International Bat Night

According to an incredibly reliable source, the nights of August 29-31 are each considered "International Bat Night". (Yes, apparently that's a thing.) Now, if you're like my boyfriend (Sorry, Sweetie!), you may be utterly terrified of this furry, flying creatures that shriek in the night. But if you're like me, you may hope they turn into a sparkly vampire and save your life some day. Either way, here is a list of reasons to celebrate this super awesome holiday.

1. There is little to no chance that they will actually spread rabies.

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Reportedly, only 10 people in the last 50 years have contracted rabies from a bat in North America. Yeah, I probably just scared a ton of you. But really, look at the numbers

2. Bats serve as natural mosquito control.

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That's right! As long as you've got a bat rat-a-tat tat-ing on your window, you may be able to consider yourself free from the itchiness that mosquitos cause. Seriously. Until this year, I went through a ten year stretch of not getting any blood sucked out of me by mosquitos. (My mom says they only bite people who are sweet. So I guess that ruled me out for a very, very long time. Thanks mom.) But this year, for some crazy reason, my skin decided to become sugary. And I get bit. Every. Night.

Well, bats eat mosquitos. So, just like you may keep pet spiders in your house to ward off other bugs (Yeah, that's another poke at my boyfriend), bats can be friendly confidants as well. So don't avoid them just yet!

3. The vast majority of bats do not feed on blood.

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I told you, these suckers will SAVE you from beings that feed on you. The only known species of bat that are actually blood-suckers live in Central and South America. (So if you happen to be reading this from there, BEWARE.) I guess my dreams of a vampire boyfriend may never come true...

4. Many of your favorite foods depend on bats.

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Bats pollinate plants. Seriously. Don't ask me how--I don't care to get into the nitty gritty details--but they do. In fact, they are responsible for the pollination of some of your favorite fancy foods. Think peaches, cashews, and avocados.

5. Bats help save rain forests.

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This is a claim I've read. On several websites. (Everything on the internet is real, kids!) Bats spread seeds better than birds do, apparently! The distance they cover helps to re-populate rain forests and other regions of our earth. Captain Planet would love these little dudes!

So next time you see a bat swooping down toward your face, you should probably still cover your face. But now you know they serve a lesser risk to you than a lot of other species of animal that you encounter daily. If you have them living in a bush in your front yard (Again, a poke at my boyfriend!), don't contemplate how to get rid of them. Instead, allow your heart to panic momentarily over their weird shrieks in the night, and then rest assured that you may not contract West Nile Virus this summer.

Thank you, bat friends. And may we toast to the bats this weekend. (Although, I think dressing like one would be a overkill.)