small brown batInstead of giving your kids diabetes this halloween, why not give them a bat?

While we were riding over the Williamsburg Bridged, Jon spotted a bat!

Bats are super awesome creatures because they are flying mammals! And they are super important because they are major insect eaters:

One little brown bat – the most common in the metropolitan area – can eat 600 mosquitoes in an hour. Besides decreasing the number of insect bites, bats are also helpful in reducing the incidence of West Nile virus.

We were pretty surprised to see that little guy clinging to the bridge but it’s not a surprise since these structures are all bats have these days:

bat williamsburg bridgeAccording to Batcon.org, “as the quality and quantity of natural roosts such as caves and snags have diminished, the importance of artificial habitats such as bridges and culverts has increased.”

Unfortunately, a deadly disease is wiping out bat populations at an alarming and devastating rate:

Named for a cold-loving white fungus typically found on the faces and wings of infected bats, White-nose Syndrome causes bats to awaken more often during hibernation and use up the stored fat reserves that are needed to get them through the winter.

This sucks! We need to help bats. Adopt – A – Bat today. Your donation will help to preserve and protect bats and you will get a plush bat toy!

While your children will learn about wildlife conservation, maybe you can skip a trip to the dentist, or better yet, help prevent childhood obesity.

Think about how much more bats need you than Mars, Inc. does.

On a side note: would you get behind a proposal to create bat houses on the Williamsburg Bridge?

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