Yesterday wasn’t just Easter Monday, it was also a rather important day for a much maligned species.

Some call them flying rats, whilst others have never been able to look past the suspicion that they are here to feast on our blood.

Whatever the reason, bats have a rather bad reputation, which is why they deserve Bat Appreciation Day.

Forbes celebrated the auspicious occasion by outlining five facts that might just turn your bat frown upside down.

[I’m sorry, I’m not proud of that.]

Bat fact time:

Their origins are unknown

Bats are one of the most prolific groups of mammals today, but their early evolutionary history is virtually unknown. The earliest known bat is Icaronycteris from the Green River Formation in Wyoming. This bat fossil is 51 million years old but it doesn’t help figure out how bats evolved their unique body plans or ability to fly…

Everyone loves a good mystery, right?

They have super long lives

For decades, biologists have noticed bats live way longer than they should according to their body size—small animals just don’t live as long as bigger ones. The tiny Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii) is the oldest bat ever discovered. At 0.25 ounces, Brandt’s bat [below] can live to 41 years old.

Researchers aren’t exactly sure why this is, but a recent genome sequencing study on Brandt’s bat shows one of its genes—one thought to be linked with body size and aging—is unique when compared to other mammals.

Want to avoid the heartbreak of watching your child say farewell to Fido? Easy, have them raise a bat.

They have incredible immune systems

Many people know bats as disease carriers—but they actually rarely get sick themselves. A recent study tried to understand how a bat’s immune system worked by giving them something called lipopolysaccharide, molecules often found associated with bacteria that trigger an immune response. The bats in the test showed none of the most commons signs of illness; they had no fever and no increased white blood cell count. It is somewhat mysterious why these bats did not exhibit the typical mammalian immune response and further study will help scientists understand why bats are so hearty.

They’re hard as nails, and us humans are weak.

They are worth billions

Lots of bat species are insectivorous and they are definitely friends to farmers wanting to rid their crops of annoying insect pests that costs them money. But just how much are these services worth?

…These natural pesticide services alone are likely worth over $1 billion a year, and that is just to the corn industry.

If all else fails put a price on their heads, right?

They need our help

Right now bats are falling victim to a deadly fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, better known as the pathogen that causes white nose syndrome in hibernating bats. The tell-tale white crust seen on the noses, ears, and wing membranes of bats is extremely fatal and has reduced the population by 80% just in the Northeastern US within a decade.

White nose syndrome has spread to over 30 US states and Canada—just last month it was confirmed for the first time in Texas. Some treatments seem to be effective for treating bats infected with white nose syndrome, but more research is needed to figure out how to save the bats in North America.

Much like the kids who frequent The Grand and Shimmy, that White Nose Syndrome can have serious consequences.

Still hate bats? Fine, they hate you too so we’ll call it even.

[source:forbes]