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2006-12-18 13:38:11 · 9 answers · asked by Dominic R 2 in Science & Mathematics Zoology

9 answers

Bats are an extremely important part of the ecosystem wherever they live. In the rainforest there are twenty genera of plants that depend on bats for pollination, and by dispersing the seeds that they eat, bats play an integral role in helping to regenerate the forest after clear-cutting or fires. bats also play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem, since they are the primary predators of night-flying insects. A single little brown bat can catch 600 mosquitoes in an hour! An average-sized colony of 150 big brown bats can eat enough pests to prevent 18 million rootworms from attacking the crops of local farmers each summer. Thus the biological success of bats translates into less use of pesticides that can be harmful to the environment. In areas where human activity has reduced the bat populations, the numbers of insect pests have dramatically risen.

2006-12-18 15:21:14 · answer #1 · answered by jamaica 5 · 0 0

Just as a quick example, the estimated 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed bats that live under the Congress Avenue bridge in Texas eat approximately 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects every single night. These are insects that, if went uneaten by the bats, would be nothing less than a plague on crops and the humans that live within the city.

2006-12-18 13:44:34 · answer #2 · answered by Digital Haruspex 5 · 0 0

For the past four decades, Auburn University zoology and wildlife science professor Troy Best has studied the winged mammals throughout the southern United States and Mexico.

While he’s careful not to downplay the seriousness of the rabies threat the creatures pose, he also thinks we should keep this threat in perspective.

“Each year, there are four times as many people killed by lightning than by rabies, less than 50 people in the last 50 years,” he says. “You’re actually more likely to be killed by deer than by a bat carrying a disease.

“If you look at some of the insects bats eat, like mosquitoes, you’ll see that they also spread disease. It might well be that the health benefits of bats in wooded areas actually offset risk the bats bring. Bats provide a huge service to us as a natural pesticide.

“That said, it’s not a good idea to have bats in a home, but it’s more of a cleanliness issue than a health issue. If you do have them removed, it’s important to do it the right way, without chemicals.”

Best said he does take the rabies threat seriously, even if it’s a threat that’s relatively small. All of the students who handle bats, for example, are required to take a series of shots designed to keep them from contracting the disease.

There are fewer bats in the United States than there were a few decades ago, he added. One of the most notable declines can be seen in the Indiana bat, whose numbers have declined 80 percent in recent decades.

Some homeowners have opted to put up “bat boxes,” structures designed to house the creatures. Best said these boxes are not likely to increase the chances of a bat infestation in a nearby home.

“We have seen some success with bat populations that have been declining,” he said. “When we noticed the gray bat called a cave in north Alabama home, and that they were frightened of people, we put up gates that kept the people out and let the bats thrive.

“If you want to keep bats out of your attic, one way to do it is to make sure they have somewhere to live. The key is to exclude them, not kill them.”

2006-12-18 14:29:16 · answer #3 · answered by destiny1983us 1 · 0 0

Our planet is a lot too huge, nature is a lot too complicated to be "killed" by making use of mere people. tell your instructor that our planets temperature has numerous in cyclical vogue for eons, and in actuality, we've COOLED over the previous 10 years regardless of what the money grabbing Al Gore is tension feeding the wackjobs who indoctrinate young ones. international whining, er, warming isn't something extra effective than a fashion for lefties in government to convey jointly capacity and funds. Our planet has COOLED the previous 10 years and of direction, CNN would not want you to understand or they woulda reported it. look it up, yet no longer at google or yahoo as they have a tendency to lean left alongside with the government of overdue. Your instructor must be fired, if no longer for mendacity than for being so ignorant with a view to be fooled by making use of environmental nazi's.

2016-10-15 05:13:50 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

They eat insects (some eat fruit, one eats blood), so that's natural pest control. They spread seeds via their poop (guano)if they are fruit eaters. Their poop (guano) is an excellent fertilizer. Bats navigate in an unusual way, having the ability to echo-locate, which is similar similar to radar and sonar. On top of all that, they are just cool critters!.

2006-12-21 13:57:02 · answer #5 · answered by mythisjones 2 · 0 0

their poop is amminium nitrate which is a component of gunpowder which humans use to control the population in africa & the middle east

2006-12-18 14:32:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

they eat alot of bugs like skeeters thank god for that i live in florida lots of them here

2006-12-18 13:41:28 · answer #7 · answered by wkdwchofwest 4 · 0 0

it's environment... and they pollinate stuff like bees.... I think

2006-12-18 13:40:29 · answer #8 · answered by two_kee_kees 4 · 0 0

pot lucks?

2006-12-18 13:42:43 · answer #9 · answered by stuckinthestargate 4 · 0 0

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