Why some people (wrongly) hate nocturnal animals

This video is about vampire bats.

From eNature in the USA:

Creatures of the Night

In most people’s minds, Halloween means vampires and witches, bats, owls and spiders.

Even the mere mention of these creatures sends shivers through some folks.

Vampires and witches — a fear of them is understandable.

But what is it about bats, owls, and spiders that makes people associate them with evil?

One trait these creatures share is a preference for darkness.

They’re active mainly at night, which runs counter to our own diurnal tendencies.

As a result, people tend to regard night animals as demonic.

Consider the bat, which has long been associated with the darker side of our subconscious.

Because bats appear only at night and vanish during the day, it was believed that bats were the souls of sleeping people.

Likewise, depictions of the devil customarily feature batlike wings and ears (angel wings, meanwhile, are birdlike).

And since bats often dwell in caves, people commonly associate them with the underworld.

As for the connection between bats and vampires, experts trace it to an ancient Asian myth involving night spirits that feed upon the blood of sleeping victims.

True vampire bats exist only in the American tropics and were not described in scientific literature until 1810.

The first literary work in which a vampire transforms into a bat and flies at night in search of human victims was Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” published in 1897.

Owls, too, are also generally associated with death and the underworld because of their nocturnal habits.

The most widespread species, the Barn Owl, with its ghostly appearance and blood-curdling shriek, is considered a bad omen in cultures throughout the world.

Several African cultures depict owls as spirits of the dead and as omens that foretell the death of anyone who sees them.

One notable exception is the Inuit belief that the Snowy Owl is a good omen.

Perhaps the reason for this unusually positive view of an owl is that the Snowy Owl is a daytime creature.

Diurnal activity is a necessity for this owl: it lives above the Arctic Circle where the period of breeding and peak prey abundance coincide with the endless daylight of Arctic summer.

Spiders are not an exclusively nocturnal group, either, though many species, especially those that hunt actively on the ground, favor darkness.

These are the species most likely to hide in cupboards and clothing, which doesn’t help their reputation.

Witchcraft in art by Hans Baldung Grien: here.

Vampire Bats Recognize Their Prey’s Breathing: here.

‘Scary’ animals: here.

Green Halloween: here.

Halloween and animal colours: here.

It’s almost Halloween, the time for orange and black: orange-and-black costumes, orange-and-black decorations, even orange-and-black candies. People favor these colors because it’s a tradition. But what prompts some animals to cloak themselves in orange and black? Here.

Why would an animal evolve to be nocturnal? Why seek out a colder time during which one of the most crucial senses is rendered useless? The answer is that there are hidden benefits to hiding in the dark. Here are some of the strangest adaptations that allow animals to thrive in an unfamiliar temporal niche: here.

Chris Packham’s guide to Britain’s nocturnal creatures. The BBC presenter and naturalist on observing owls, foxes, bats, moths and hedgehogs in their habitats: here.

Birding at night takes special dedication but is a rewarding way to see nocturnal birds, but what birds should you be looking for after dark? Owls are the most popular nighttime birds, but there are actually many more nocturnal species to watch for than birders may realize: here.

Related articles

• Revealed: What happens if you cross a parrot, a vampire bat and a porcupine? You get a weird dinosaur (independent.co.uk)
• Vampire Bats are Not in Texas, Yet…. (stateimpact.npr.org)
• Experts skeptical of vampire bat claim (mysanantonio.com)
• Owls Around Us (science.kqed.org)
• Birds of the Bible – The Bat Revisited (leesbird.com)
• New study to track altruism in vampire bats (lostateminor.com)
• Little Vampire Bat – Free Halloween Tutorial (missdolkapots.wordpress.com)