Along with zombies, ghosts and other terrifying phantasms, bats are one of the ultimate symbols that represent Halloween, and experts say that there are several noteworthy reasons for it. The mammal's association with the creepy holiday can be traced back to its migration habits, one of the experts said.

Nate Fuller, bat biology program graduate student at Boston University, explained that during autumn, swarms of bats in the Northeastern part of the United States flood the skies to prepare for hibernation or for migrating into the south.

Fuller said that mid-1800s Scottish and Irish immigrants who brought the Celtic holiday of Samhain to the country possibly saw these swarming bats and begun to associate the winged creatures' presence with the autumn holiday. Samhain eventually led to Halloween, he said.

Certain bat species go south for the winter, while other bat species in the West often do not have to hibernate or migrate because of the warm enough climate in the area, said Shannon Curie from Bat Organization.

"By late October most bats from Chicago to Boston and north have already started to hibernate in a mine or cave or have migrated well south of (the northern) area," explained Professor Allen Kurta, a bat specialist from Eastern Michigan University.

Moreover, traditional tales and pop culture influences have associated bats with dread and fear. Certain stories include blood-drinking vampires who have the ability to turn into bats, and these tales have spread into the Halloween folklore.

However, experts say that in reality, these mammals are actually quite harmless.

Most bats do not contain rabies and only eat insects, Fuller clarified. Three to five percent of bats were discovered to be positive with rabies, and this debunks the myth that all bats are carriers of the disease.

"Most people don't realize how small vampire bats are," said Oakland Zoo senior bat keeper Andrea Dugall. "The larger bats like to eat fruit, flowers, leaves - they don't eat people. I offered one an insect once, and he looked at me like I was crazy."

Bat conservationists hope that the public perception toward these winged mammals becomes optimistic.

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Assistant Director Tom French said that Northern Long-eared bats have been recently added to the list of federal endangered species. He added that in recent years, there has been an outpouring of concern for the decline of bat population in the U.S., and it was something he never expected to happen.

It was a positive albeit small sign that awareness has shifted the image of these winged animals to the public, and researchers hope that more positive exposure can be done to save these mammals.

Photo: Steve Garner | Flickr