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.
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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 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. Due to the fact that the fear is not life altering, it can usually just be left untreated.
See also
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
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