Batman? Not exactly.

[Nitro]

So... I was laying in bed tonight watching a movie and just surfing the net, when something all of a sudden zoomed by my head. At first I didn't have a sweet clue what it was until it landed on my bed about four feet from my face..

As soon as I realized it was a bat... not just a small bat, this sucker was pretty big for where I live. So yeah.. needless to say that bats freak me out solid.. so I kinda freaked out and bolted for my door. I opened the door a crack and peeked in to see where it was and it was flying sporadically around my room.. I continued my cowardness for about an hour, randomly peeking in the door and wondering how the hell i'm going to get this bat out of my room.

Of course, me being a picture freak, ran and got my camera to try and snag a few pictures during my exotic adventure at 1 in the morning.

I opened my door a crack and watched for a few minutes. I managed to catch him on the ledge of my window.

About 10 seconds after I took those pictures, it started flying all over the place again which resulted in a door slamming suddenly.

Now it was around 2:30 (about an hour and a half after the first encounter) I opened the door to see if I could work up the guts to go in and see if I could catch it. (I had a fly swatter for protection and a round tupperware bowl to catch it in).

Some how I missed it and it managed to fly out my door and proceeded to chase me around my living room.. no joke.. I swear this thing was out to get me. I managed to whack it once (not very hard) but enough to knock it to the ground and stun it.

I quickly threw the tupperware bowl over it and victory was finally mine after 2 hours of intenseness...

I proceeded to slip a piece of paper under it. I took a cool picture of it standing up in the bowl. It kinda looks like the batman symbol.. neato.

I then took it outside and quickly took the bowl off of it and sprinted back in the house. From the safety of my back porch window, it jumped a couple times and then finally took into flight.

Is it just me or do bats freak anyone else out? I'm all paranoid now, every noise I heard I have to look around for bats... :hehe:

 

[dgridley]

Quite an adventure.. unless diseased, they're pretty harmless but yeah, they creep me out too sometimes.

Years ago, we had one come in on our enclosed porch looking for an easy meal (moths flying around the porch light) and we kinda herded it out by holding a bed sheet up and shooing it toward a window.

 

[RJ]

Cool story. Bats are fascinating creatures, but not something I'd like to have flying around my room in the middle of the night.

:lol:

 

[shockie]

you brave soul!

great story and scary pictures... but you should probably find out how it got inside in the first place... and patch it up.

 

[James]

wow. never seen a bat before.
wonder how it got in :lol:

 

[ChrisChris]

We don't have too many bats down here but where we used to live there were a few along with some possums at night but they never got too close to do any harm.

Great coverage of the incident though :lol:

 

[Jeffrey]

I think bats have rabies too.

 

[Nitro]

Yeah, some bats have rabies for sure but it's not that common here. Our bats are just house bats. They're actually great around here cause they cut down the mosquito population!

I'd say it flew in one night when I was taking my dog in.. or it flew down the chimney.. lol

 

[Janine]

lol.
hehehe..nice.
i always see bats here everynight..
our compound is full of bats.
=]

 

[.X.]

As long as they stay outside and hang upside down from a tree, We get along, If they come into my house, Well, I will probably need alot of sheet rock and tapping and bedding done on the walls of my house

 

[ehoez.com]

lol, do you sleep with your digital camera or what?

 

[bizwiz]

thats one cool looking bat :D

 

[EGS]

I think they're cool but def. scary.
My grandmama told me that their teeth are so sharp you won't feel the bite.

 

[Phoebe_]

I've got many of those nearby

 

[Kenny]

Bat Facts

They eat skeeters.... we love em!

There are more than 1,000 species of bats in the world! They live on every continent of the world, except Antarctica. Bats do not live in areas where it is very hot or very cold, and there are some remote islands that are not home to bats.

The largest bats live in warm areas, while smaller bats live in both warm and cold places. Where winters are cold, bats migrate to a warmer climate or hibernate. When bats hibernate, they gather in large groups of hundreds and sleep together for warmth.

Bats are mammals. They account for more than 25 percent of all the mammals on the earth! Bats are the only mammals that can fly.

Mother bats have one baby in their litter. The baby bats are called “pups.” When a pup is born, it usually has no hair and its eyes are closed. It clings to the mother bat and drinks milk from her. When the pup is about four months old, it learns to fly.

Although some people say all bats look like flying mice, their heads sometimes look like tiny dogs, bears or foxes!

Depending on the species, bats can be gray, brown, white or reddish brown.

Bats are very sociable animals, and live in large colonies. Depending on the type of bat, their life span is between four and thirty years.

Bats like to live in dark places. Caves, holes in trees and even buildings are favorite homes. Because bats sleep during the day and are active at night, they are called “nocturnal.”

Bats sleep upside down. They use their feet to grasp onto a twig or board, and when it is cold, they hang close together.

Bats have teeth and chew their food. Seventy percent of all bats eat insects. One bat can eat more than a thousand insects in one hour!

To catch insects, bats use their wings. Their wings are the only part of their bodies not covered by hair, but with thin, tough skin. Bats use their wings like hands, and they have little thumbs and wrists on them.

Because bats eat so many insects, they are a great help to people. Many poisonous chemicals can be avoided when bats eat the bugs that would ruin crops, and cause other problems.

Some bats eat fruit, nectar and seeds from plants. When the bats spit out the seeds or leave them in their droppings, they help new plants to grow. They also pollinate many kinds of plants, including vanilla beans, peaches, bananas and avocados.

Other bats eat mice, frogs and fish. They use what is called “echolocation” to find their food. Because they hunt at night when it is dark, they cannot see their prey. So, they make clicking and squeaking sounds and listen for the echo to come back to them. If the sound comes back quickly, they know something to eat is nearby. If they hear no sound, they know nothing to eat is close. Most bats have big ears and very good hearing.

A few species of bats eat the blood from the backs of cattle and the feet of chickens. These “vampire bats” slit the animals’ skin with their sharp toenails, and then lap up the blood. The bloodsucking bats of the movies are not real.

The largest bats have a wingspan of more than six feet. However, most are smaller.

The “hog-nosed bat” has a body that is only one-inch long. The length of each wing is about three inches.

“Fruity bats” like to eat fruit.

“Camping bats” are tiny and white. They chew palm fibers and make little “tents.” Each night they make a new tent.

The “American fishing bat” uses echolocation to feed on fish.

Other kinds of bats include “acrobatic bats,” “brown bats,” “long-eared bats,” “pygmy bats” and “vampire bats.” There are many more.

Many people do not like bats and are afraid of them because they think all bats have rabies. Rabies is a virus that is transmitted to animals and people through animal bites. A study by the University of Florida has shown less than one-half of 1 percent of all bats have rabies. It is more likely for a person to be bitten by an unvaccinated dog or cat.

People also think vampire bats will try to attack humans. That is simply not true.

Bats are not a danger to people and are actually quite valuable. Very few carry rabies, and they help to control the insect population. They also help seed new plants and pollinate our crops!
Source:
http://ia.essortment.com/factsaboutbat_ocv.htm

Nitro, very cool play by play, and thanks for not hurting it.

Peace,
Cy