大象传媒

What's not to like about bats? Just why are so many people afraid of them? It's all related to our fears of the dark - and anything that revels in darkness spooks us. Bats belong with ghosts, zombies and vampires - and it certainly doesn't help that there's a species of bat, the vampire bat, that actually does feed on blood, though this sort of activity is reserved for the animals of Central America. Back in the UK, bats still have a frightful reputation. They soar, flap and skim around our woods in the dead of night as silent killers. Folklore talks of bats becoming entangled in your hair. But it is just myth. The fact is that the last thing a bat would do is get stuck in your hair. If their sonar can pinpoint a spider in its web then they are pretty sure to spot something as big as a human head. Their aerial dexterity is due to sonar so sensitive, that it can detect potential obstacles in pitch darkness. They have been referred to as flying mice, but their faces are really dissimilar. It's hard to shake off a bad reputation.