Bats can live up to 25 years and usually have only one young each year. As with other mammals, the baby bat is born alive and is fed milk by the mother. Females often nest in large colonies. They roost in caves during the day, preferring dome shaped ceilings for safety from predators. Roosting bats hang by their feet with their wings folded around them.
Many people think that bats are dirty and carry diseases.
Bats are actually clean and almost disease-free animals. And yet, people are concerned that all bats carry rabies. This misconception began over forty years ago when inadequate testing procedures found that all bats tested positive for rabies. After better testing procedures were developed, it was found that bats carry a harmless virus that gave the same reaction as the rabies virus. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and this peaceful little creature was labeled as a menace to society.