Fear of bats

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fear of bats, sometimes called chiroptophobia (an incorrect derivation from the order Chiroptera of bats) may refer both to a specific phobia associated with bats and to common negative stereotypes and fear of bats stemming from prejudices and misinformation.

1 Roots and misconceptions
2 Dangers
3 Phobia
4 Reference
5 External links

[edit] Roots and misconceptions

Bats, being nocturnal animals, are associated with various dangers and fears of darkness, with the centuries of prajudices and accompanying myths of Dracula, Halloween, witches, etc. In Christian Europe night-flying bats became associated with the devil, and many medieval paintings depict the devil with bat's wings. Bats (their blood, hair, etc.) were parts of various evil rituals and potions.

Satan, with bat's wings from Gustave Doré's illustations for Paradise Lost.

Contrary to a widespread misconception, only a handful of over 1,1000 species of bats feed on blood, none of which have been known to feed on human blood. Common ignorance often leads to misidentification. Merilin Tuttle in her book describes various cases ranging from an owl defending its nest to a person scratching his arm by an obstacle when yanking it in fright and subsequently getting inoculated against a "rabid bat" bite.

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.

In addition, some fear of bats is based on the fact that a very small percentage of bats carry rabies. Any person who believes they may have been bitten by a bat, or who finds a bat in a room with a child, an incapacitated adult, or a sleeping person should consult a medical professional immediately, before symptoms appear.

[edit] Dangers

The very fear of bats may present a higher danger than bats themselves: numerous people have broken their legs falling off ladders or tripping over logs while escaping from "vicious bats".

Another real danger of the fear of bats is mass killings of bats and destruction of bat roosts, which leads to decline in population of these beneficial insect-eating and pollinating animals that are an important part of the ecosystem.

Combatting fear of bats is possible via appropriate education of children and adults alike about bats, as well proper handling of real nuisances bats that might be present.

[edit] Phobia

As it 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.