There are more than 900 species of bats around the world, of which 53 are found in South Africa. Of these, at least 12 are found in the Western Cape. Long associated with witches and vampires, many species of bats are now threatened with extinction, mainly because of people's negative attitudes towards bats. Bats are protected by law.

Feb 22, 2025 · Bats are often misunderstood, but experts emphasise that they are not aggressive toward humans and prefer to avoid people whenever possible. Kristen Steytler, secretary of the Bat Interest Group of KwaZulu-Natal (Bats KZN), said bats play a crucial role in the ecosystem and should not be seen as pests.

There are over 1100 species of bats, which occur in all parts of the world except for the most extreme desert and polar regions. There are 75 bat species known in Southern Africa, of which 56 species occur in South Africa.

The Bat Interest Group of KwaZulu-Natal, formerly the Durban Bat Interest Group and commonly known as Bats KZN, was started in 1994 and is the oldest bat group in Southern Africa.

There are 5 different species of free-tailed bats found in KwaZulu Natal these include Angolan, Little, Egyptian, Ansorge’s and the Large-eared giant mastiff bat. There is a wide variety of vesper bats in Southern Africa and it can be very difficult to identify them to a species level.

A fairly small bat that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand. It is the most common and widespread species in southern Africa. Tough and adaptable, it is found anywhere from the Karoo to bushveld areas, but not in forest or true desert.

Bats are fast and agile animals with an insatiable hunger for insects, and can consume hundreds of bugs and mosquitoes in a single night. Perhaps it’s the unknown and secret world of these amazing animals that make people uneasy; and it is this lack of knowledge that perpetuates imaginative myths, negative perceptions and makes them feared ...

In the world, there are three species of vampire bats. They feed on blood and occur only in South and Central America. They do not occur in Africa, India, Australia, the United States or Europe – not even in Transylvania! Yet many people insist on believing that vampire bats occur worldwide.

This newly revised edition of Bats of Southern and Central Africa builds on the solid foundation of the first edition and supplements the original account of bat species then known to be found in Southern and Central Africa with an additional eight newly described species, bringing the total to 124.The chapters on evolution, biogeography ...

• Bats are protected by provincial legislation. • It is inhumane when better options exist. • Some services will offer to catch and release bats far away, but bats have been