Bats!
Bats, at least the local ones, are bug eaters. They can eat 600 mosquitoes in an hour. Since we live near a nature preserve and a swamp, you can guess what I was thinking, "I need a bat house!" There are some very large bats that eat fruit, but these are located in tropical rain forests. They are being an active part of their ecosystem, by helping to seed the ground for more trees . (Anton is studying ecosystems in science right now.) The feared Vampire Bats only live in Mexico and South America. These bats are the only ones which are highly feared for carrying rabies, hence the blood issue. One bright child asked what purpose do they serve in our environment? Great question! Well, scientists are trying to isolate the chemical in their saliva which causes the wound from the cut to not coagulate. This chemical compound is then used in heart patients to thin their blood. By the way, Vampire Bats do not suck blood, they lap it much the same way as a dog, and they prey on cattle. The cattle are usually alright as long as they are not fed on several times within a short period.
All the children got a chance to get a closer look. Isabella was pretending to be afraid. Why do I know this, she has been to exhibits with live bats much less dead ones.
Once the animal presentation was over, one of the moms had a small bat craft ready for them to work on.
Isabella finished hers, but Anton opted to finish his at home so he could run around with the other boys. Interestingly, all the boys over the age of 5 either did not complete the craft or did it very haphazardly. All the girls took their time and made sure the bows were on right if they wanted it to be a girl bat. A nice way to spend a Friday afternoon with friends.
