And bats are the only mammal that can really fly. As you might expect, these hand-winged mammals also nurse their young. Fact is, if you're into mammals, you've gotta love bats, since the nearly 1,000 species of bats comprise almost one-quarter of all mammal species. If you're not convinced, remember tequila, the elixir of the margarita. According to Bat Conservation International, the seed output of the agave plant, whose fermented flesh makes tequila, drops durn close to zero unless the plant is pollinated by bats .
Tropical bats play a major role in pollinating flowers and spreading seeds .
Maybe it's all that guano carpeting the floor of bat caves. Maybe it's their strange, herky-jerky flight pattern, or the fact that, like other mammals, they can get rabies. Still, bats have attracted a coterie of admirers, who hang out, so to speak, at Bat Conservation International and the Organization for Bat Conservation . These folks want to reverse centuries of myths that still cause misguided people to exterminate bats and destroy their caves. To spread the Bats 'r up philosophy , teach children that they're cool, not ghoul.