Bloodthirsty, my ass

Not spooky: bats secure cocoa, wine & co.

Little creatures of the night: most people don't even realize how useful they are to us.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Creativenature.nl)

They are simply part of Halloween: Bats. Some people are creeped out by them. But we should be more afraid of a world without them, because they are extremely useful. Without bats, for example, we wouldn't be able to enjoy our chocolate. Why? Biologist Rym Nouioua explains in the Halloween special of the ÖAW project "FÄKT!".

The tales of bats entangled in hair and craving human blood are persistent. But there are only three species of bat in the world that suck blood, and these are only found in Central and South America. They mainly feed on the blood of birds or farm animals such as cattle. In fact, bats protect us from "vampires": they eat pests and insects such as annoying mosquitoes.

"Without bats, our ecosystem simply wouldn't work," says biologist Rym Nouioua from the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research at the University of Vienna. "This is because bats have occupied many niches through evolution with their feeding behavior."

"Depending on the species, they contribute to many ecosystem services, such as pest control, seed dispersal and also the fertilization of plants by distributing seeds and pollen," explains the expert.

Bats have occupied many niches through evolution with their feeding behavior. They are pest controllers, can spread seeds and are pollinators.

Biologin Rym Nouioua,  Department für Botanik und Biodiversitätsforschung, Uni Wien

Bild: LUKAS_SCHRAMM

Without bats, many things would not exist, such as cocoa, but also coffee, mangoes - and tequila. "For example, they devour the gnats that annoy us all, they eat away the ticks that annoy us all," explains Nouioua. "But also, if we think of wine or olives, they eat away the pests like the olive moth or the olive fly."

In this way, they help nature to remain in balance. Incidentally, bats are also the only known flying mammals in the world.

Threatened with extinction
However, they are threatened with extinction. There are several reasons for this, as the biologist knows from her research.

Climate change plays a role, of course, but so do humans: the use of pesticides reduces their food sources, wind turbines and domestic cats directly threaten them, and habitat loss due to demolition and conversion of old buildings deprives them of important shelter. 

In addition to measures for climate protection and against climate change, what can everyone do for our helpers in the dark? Putting up nesting boxes, for example. Although many boxes from the DIY store are unsuitable.

"It's important to use untreated, weather-resistant wood and to make sure they are built correctly," appeals Nouioua. Suitable models can often be found through nature conservation organizations or specialist suppliers.

Also helpful: placing water bowls in the garden for the animals, especially important on hot days.

And: Stop telling tales of bloodthirsty suckers that people should be afraid of. Not even on Halloween.

In a nutshell

• Rym Nouioua, B.Sc. M.Sc, conducts research at the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research at the University of Vienna under the supervision of Dr. Bea Maas, head of the "Sounds wild" project.
• "FÄK!" is the name of the new science communication project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), in the course of which students Miso Tschak and Julia Winkler interview researchers on a wide range of topics.
• The exciting FÄKT! school and social media videos are suitable for children and can be found here:

  -> Homepage: www.faekt.science

  -> Youtube:

  https://www.youtube.com/@faekt.science

  -> Instagram:
  https://www.instagram.com/faekt.science/

  -> Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@faekt.science

  -> Edutube: http://www.edutube.at/#FÄKT

• Take a look at the videos and show them to your children!

If you would like to know more about bats, we will soon be presenting a very special part of Nouioua's work as part of the ÖAW's science education project "FÄKT!": Bats can also make art!