there was a time when my world was filled with darkness

So, finally dragged off to see The Truth About Bats and Avies charity event (it benefits Bat World Sanctuary), and found a whole bunch of 'bat facts' I wanted to capture for posterity.



I still don't know how this rumor started. Flying things as a rule don't divebomb humans, unless they're trying to drive away said human from a nest, and that's generally aggressive birds like jays, falcons and the like.



I kind of went wild on various Windlight settings, trying to make things readable. For shopping and wandering, the sim this event is on is set to Dusty, which is good, but for readable text? Not as efficient. (And just to note: my experiments didn't always work.)



Some bats are downright adorable, in fact.



So remember: when you say someone is "blind as a bat", you're actually saying they see really well in the dark.



Of course, that's just another supposition--people scared of bats call them 'flying mice' or 'flying rats' because they also think mice and rats are ugly, dirty creatures. It's all prejudice based on fear.



They also cuddle their young, grooming them like cats will with kittens.



White Nose Syndrome is a devastating fungal infection first discovered in 2007, which is now widespread throughout the US and parts of Canada. It affects all species of bats, leading to depletion of energy resources in the winter, loss of muscle mass, and eventual death.