This liminality gives bats a supernatural air that further heightens mystery and distrust as they cross the borders between birds and mammals, day and night.

Appearing as half bird, half mammal at the edge of day and night they are seen as liminal beings and not part of the natural order. They often live and breed in dark and unusual places such as caves, tunnels and lofts, leaving these at twilight – the time between light and darkness – in search of food.

The way they live their lives and their behaviour places them somewhere betwixt and between, appearing as neither one thing, nor the other. It is not just their physical form that makes bats a curiosity. See my wings.” The weasel replied, “Well, so you are!” and let the bat go.īy PD-USGov. The weasel replied, “No, I never let mice go!” The bat said, “Well, look closely at me. A little later the same bat was caught by another weasel and begged for mercy. I am a mouse, not a bird!” The weasel looked at the bat and agreed it was a mouse and released it. The bat begged to be spared but the weasel insisted that he could not do that because he was an enemy of all birds. The duality of bats is mentioned in one of Aesop’s Fables, which tells how a bat fell to the ground and was pounced on by a weasel. Presented here are different viewpoints from around the world, followed by a short look at the real significance of bats to humankind. Do they really deserve this sinister reputation, or do they play a more important role in the world than feeding the dark human fascination for the spooky and the supernatural? In fact they are mammals of the scientific order Chiroptera, meaning “hand wing” in ancient Greek, because their forelimbs have become adapted to be wings. From this duality and strangeness evolved a reputation of duplicity and threat, appearing as neither one thing nor the other. Unquestionably, they are strange creatures, appearing as half animal and half bird, like something from a nightmare world. Bats feature in many myths, legends and folklore from diverse cultures around the world, and are often associated with darkness, death and the supernatural.

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