Fear of bats

Fear of bats, sometimes called chiroptophobia, may refer both to a specific phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation.

Roots and misconceptions

Bats, being nocturnal animals, are associated with various dangers and fears of darkness, with the centuries of prejudices and accompanying myths of Dracula, Halloween, etc.

Contrary to a widespread misconception, only 3 species of bats feed on blood, and these species only live in Latin America. Common ignorance often leads to misidentification.

At the same time, the fear of bats may be naturally reinforced by the natural startle response experienced by an unsuspecting person, e.g., when a disturbed colony of bats dashes out of a cave.

Often, people fear bats due to the possibility of contracting rabies, but only 0.5% of vampire bats carry rabies^{[citation needed]}.

Phobia

As is common with specific phobias, an occasional fright may give rise to abnormal anxiety that requires treatment. An abnormal fear of bats may be treated by any standard treatment for specific phobias. Due to the fact that the fear is not life altering, it can usually just be left untreated.

Fiction

Building on the fear of bats, vampires in stories and films are often portrayed as being able to transform into bats for locomotion.

A modern example associating fear with bats in fiction is DC Comics' Batman. In many adaptations, Batman is said to have chosen to emulate bats to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. In the film Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne, Batman's secret identity, actually develops a fear of bats as a child when he falls into a cave and is attacked by bats. Henri Ducard who is really Ra's al Ghul makes a grown up Bruce Wayne conquer his fear. Scarecrow is also mentioned as being afraid of bats.

Hank Hill from King of the Hill has chiroptophobia.

Grif from Red vs. Blue also showed signs of chiroptophobia during the series' fifth season.

After Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic dazed herself by running into Twilight Sparkle, she displayed a chiroptophobic panic when two tickets landed on her snout.

See also

• List of phobias

References

• Merlin D. Tuttle, America's Neighborhood Bats (1988: ISBN 0-292-70403-8) (2005: ISBN 0-9742379-1-4, ISBN 0-292-71280-4)

External links

• earthlife.net: Bats and Humanity
• House Bat Management (a USGS online publ. for Greenhall, Arthur M. 1982. "House bat management". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Resource Publication 143. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online)
• Bats Northwest - a non profit dedicated to education, research & conservation
• Bat Conservation International