What types of bats live in Kentucky?

Few animals are as misunderstood as bats. They are the subject of myths, misunderstandings, and folklore that make them among the most feared animals in Kentucky. Bats are relentlessly persecuted wherever they are found. The presence of a bat in a house probably causes more alarm than does any other wildlife species.

This intense fear is probably more dangerous than the bats themselves. People have broken arms and legs in frenzied escapes, almost drowned falling off boat docks as bats swoop for mosquitoes, or become inadvertently poisoned or otherwise injured when fumigating a home.

These fears are unwarranted. Contrary to what you may have heard:

• Most bats are not rabid.
• Bat droppings in buildings are usually not a source of histoplasmosis.
• Bats are not filthy and will not infest homes with dangerous parasites.
• Bats are not aggressive and will not attack people or pets.
• Kentucky bats do not feed on blood. (The vampire bat, which does feed on blood, lives in Latin America, more than 1,000 miles from Kentucky.