{"id":9940,"date":"2017-10-16T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=9940"},"modified":"2021-10-26T12:29:31","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T16:29:31","slug":"take-5-beneficial-bats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-beneficial-bats\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Beneficial Bats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bats, our only flying mammals, are truly remarkable animals. It’s too bad their unwarranted reputation has prevented many people from appreciating how beneficial and unique they are.<\/p>\n

All bats found in Massachusetts are insectivores. They feed primarily at night, catching thousands of mosquitoes, moths, and other night-flying insects. It is estimated that an individual bat can eat 600 insects per hour!<\/p>\n

Here are five photos of bats to celebrate these beneficial little beasts. Learn all about bat behavior, species, and anatomy<\/a>, check out Bats By the Numbers<\/a>, and find out what you should do if you encounter a bat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Bat

Bat \u00a9 David McChesney<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bat

Bat \u00a9 Serah Rose Roth<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bat

Bat in Flight \u00a9 Jeff Wills<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bat

Bat \u00a9 Dave Shattuck<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bat

Bat \u00a9 Justen Walker<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bats, our only flying mammals, are truly remarkable animals. It’s too bad their unwarranted reputation has prevented many people from appreciating how beneficial and unique they are. All bats found in Massachusetts are insectivores. They feed primarily at night, catching thousands of mosquitoes, moths, and other night-flying insects. It is estimated that an individual bat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":9946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[189,83,84],"class_list":["post-9940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-halloween","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/535SerahRoseRoth1706_fi.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2Ak","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6378,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bats-legions-of-the-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":9940,"position":0},"title":"Bats: Legions of the Night","author":"Rosemary","date":"October 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"As Halloween approaches, bat-themed decorations swarm store windows and homes, often in the company of black cats and other creatures synonymous with mystery and dread. Though bats have become symbolic of our spookiest holiday, they are benevolent, diverse, and fascinating throughout the year. One out of every five mammal species\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/anotherBat_Credit_DavidMcChesney.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/anotherBat_Credit_DavidMcChesney.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/anotherBat_Credit_DavidMcChesney.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16455,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-misunderstood-wildlife\/","url_meta":{"origin":9940,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Misunderstood Wildlife","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the years, some wildlife has developed a \"bad reputation\". The reasons for this can vary\u2014some animals, like opossums and ravens, display behaviors and self-defense techniques that can look scary or off-putting to the human eye, while others, such as bats, are maligned by old folklore and mythology. Sometimes, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Virginia Opossums \u00a9 Scott Eggimann","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/10\/4263Scott_Eggimann20335-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/10\/4263Scott_Eggimann20335-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/10\/4263Scott_Eggimann20335-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/10\/4263Scott_Eggimann20335-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15948,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-pollinator-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":9940,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Pollinator Power","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's National Pollinator Week! This is a time to celebrate pollinators and raise awareness about how to protect them. So what are pollinators? Pollinators are creatures that help plants reproduce by spreading\u00a0a powdery material called pollen among flowers of the same species when the sticky pollen attaches to their bodies\u2014many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hummingbird Clearwing Moth on beebalm \u00a9 Lynne Harding","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7615,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bugs-slugs-slither-and-slime-yucky-programs-for-young-explorers\/","url_meta":{"origin":9940,"position":3},"title":"Bugs, Slugs, Slither, and Slime: “Yucky” Programs for Young Explorers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Let\u2019s face it\u2014kids love the \u201cYuck Factor.\u201d And thankfully, there\u2019s a lot to learn from the world of slime! At Mass Audubon\u2019s wildlife sanctuaries, kids \u00a0are encouraged to look under rocks and rotting logs to see what they can find, because there\u2019s a whole world of wonder waiting to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Outdoors"","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/eastern-red-backed-salamander-from-West-Mountain-by-Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/eastern-red-backed-salamander-from-West-Mountain-by-Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/eastern-red-backed-salamander-from-West-Mountain-by-Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10024,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-spooky-spiders\/","url_meta":{"origin":9940,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: “Spooky” Spiders","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This October, we've been leading up to Halloween with themed Take 5 posts covering critters that are spooky, creepy, and go \"bump\" in the night. We've highlighted snakes, crows, bats, and vultures, and now it's time for the creepiest crawly of them all: spiders! 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See all the programs and register online. 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