PHOTO BY CHARLES PEKINS The cave myotis is just one species of bats found on Fort Hood. Not only are bats not the bloodsucking creatures they are portrayed to be in many horror movies, in reality they are some of the best friends farmers could have.

While most people are ready to dismiss the winged mammals as something to be feared, Charles Pekins, a Lampasas resident and wildlife biologist on Fort Hood, said there are many misconceptions about bats.

Pekins, who works with numerous types of wildlife from endangered songbirds to game animals, spends the majority of his work on bat and cave research.

"Central Texas is home yearround to several species of forest bats -- so called as they roost in tree cavities and in the tree canopy -- including two species that migrate south to spend the winter in Texas."

Central Texas also is home to two cave-dwelling bats that commonly take up residence in buildings and bat houses, said Pekins.

"There are many misconceptions about bats based on fear and misunderstanding. Bats are not vile, diseased creatures," he said. In fact, research has demonstrated that less than one-half of 1 percent of bats have rabies. "The disease is more common in dogs, cats, raccoons and the skunk family."

The wildlife biologist said bats are beneficial predators of nightflying invertebrates, often consuming their body weight in insects nightly.

"Some of these insects are beetles and moths that are crop pests," Pekins said. "Research has shown that bats save Texas farmers hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars yearly by consuming insects, and the savings is ultimately passed on to consumers by lower food prices and foods without pesticides."

He said so many farmers appreciate bats for their insect appetites many actually construct bat houses to keep them out of harm's way and give them a safe place to live away from predators.

Bats are not the only creatures living in caves at the military installation. There are 250 caves on Fort Hood, and 12 of those house invertebrates found only on the military post. "Some are as small as the size of the letter 'I' on the word liberty on a penny," Pekins said.

Fort Hood also houses a maternity cave where pregnant female bats tend to congregate to await the birth of their pups. They are like humans in that they are warmblooded mammals, give birth to live babies and nourish them with their milk, said the biologist.

A bat is about six to eight weeks old before it is adult size and ready to fly.

Less than 5 percent of the 4,000 caves in Texas are suitable for pregnant bats, he said.

The bats that do not occupy the single cave on Fort Hood reside elsewhere -- in trees, with some living inside tree cavities, or in overhangs or rock shelters.

Seven species of bats are found at Fort Hood; the same seven also are at home in Lampasas, Pekins said. "Half of those are forest bats, and you will probably never encounter them because they fly either singly or in small groups."

Another common fallacy, said the biologist, is that bats are rats. "They are not related to rats or mice. They have their own order -- chiroptera, which means handwing, because their wings are like giant hands.

"And unlike rats and mice, bats do not chew on wires. In fact, the only thing they chew is their food."

Bats also are the only mammal capable of flight under their own power. And contrary to popular belief, said Pekins, bats are not blind. "In fact, they see quite well. And some bats, such as the fruit bat, rely solely on its eyes and smell to find food.

"People think when a bat is flying around them it is trying to attack them, when in reality it is trying to judge what obstacles are in its way in an attempt to get away," he said. "Bats are not aggressive by nature. When they are trapped inside a building they just want to get out of there as much as you want them to get out."

The worst thing a person can do is to come after a bat with a broom, Pekins said. "You are more likely to injure it, or it might bite to try to protect itself when trying to get away from you."

Why do bats hang upside-down when resting? Pekins said they are roosting, and that allows them to get to higher places and tighter spaces where predators can't reach them. "It also makes it easy for them to escape quickly because they just drop down and fly away."

They are able to remain upsidedown even while sleeping because the weight of their body pulls on the leg muscles and causes their feet to grip automatically.

Do all bats have the propensity to carry rabies?

"That is far from the truth," said the expert. "In fact, less than onehalf of 1 percent of bats have rabies; 99.5 percent of the bats persecuted don't have rabies."

Pekins urged caution around bats lying on the ground. "They are usually very docile and will retreat, but if a bat drops to the ground or if it can't fly or acts abnormally, don't touch it. Just leave it alone. A bat will bite in self-defense," he said.

"If you don't disturb them, bats are very beneficial to the ecosystem."

One cave in San Antonio is home to between 20 million and 40 million bats. And the bats from that single cave are capable of eating up to 200 tons of insects each night. "They can eat their body weight in insects each night. And most of those are crop pests such as moths, beetles and worms that destroy plants and defoliate forests."

More than 1,000 species of bats exist in the world, Pekins said. They eat fruit, pollen, nectar, frogs, lizards, birds and other bats.

And out of all the species of bats, only three take a "blood meal," Pekins added. "And none of those live in the U.S.

"Bats have a bad name because of the famous vampire bats," said the biologist. "When they do take a blood meal, it is mainly from domesticated farm animals -- pigs and cows. Only occasionally will they take blood from a human.

"But all bats are persecuted because of fear of certain bats. And they only take about a teaspoon of blood -- not enough to kill the animal. Most animals never even know they are being fed on. And bats do not go for the throat," he said. "They use two sharp teeth to make a cut and their tongue to lap up the blood."

Most importantly, Pekins said, humans can't get rabies from a bat's blood or by touching its urine or feces. "Rabies has to come from a direct bite to be passed along, if in fact, a bat is rabid," he said.

"But the best way to prevent rabies is to have your pets vaccinated and be sure not to touch a bat. They should never be allowed in living quarters.

"Bats have a natural threat from predators and disease. The greatest threat to bats is from humans because we have a deep misunderstanding about them based on years of myths," said Pekins.

Bats face threats due to cave vandalism, destruction of forests where they live and rely upon trees for roosts, persecution due to fear of rabies and vampires, pesticides that kill their prey, and improper placement and operation of wind energy farms, which kill thousands of bats and birds annually, he said.

More than half the United States' bat species are endangered or in rapid decline.

Pekins suggested contacting an animal-control expert for more information on safe removal of bats, or visit www.batcon.org.