Week of October 27, 2024 – November 2, 2024
by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator
In honor of Halloween just a few days away, I thought we would take some time to talk about the misrepresentation of some of our animal friends in association with Halloween. Halloween has become the one of the largest holidays celebrated in America celebrated with trick or treating, carving pumpkins, and visiting haunted houses. Have you noticed that many of the decorations on people’s homes have connections to nature, like skeletons, bats, enormous spiders and their webs, and more! (Although, I wonder how some of the animals used for decor feel about appearing in the spookiest holiday decorations.)
Bats, among other creatures, are a popular trademark during this time of year. It turns out sinister legends about bats actually date back to long long ago, when in the 15th and 16th century people happened to observe bats drinking the blood of animals. Even though there are only three species of bats that drink animal blood out of a whopping 1,400, this was enough to inspire works of fiction exaggerating the abilities of bats. A new terrifying concept emerged in folklore about humans that had diets consisting only of blood and could defy the laws of nature by transforming into bats. These creatures of the night were called vampires! Some stories spread of vampires shape-shifting to blend in with their nocturnal winged companions.
Legends and lore traveled far and wide inspiring works of art and cinema. The infamous novel, Dracula, by Bram Stoker features a vampire that had superhuman strength, immortality, mind control, and you guessed it, shape-shifting abilities. Notably, the undead character could shape-shift into a bat, pigeonholing this mammal to an identity associated with vampires. Bats are an integral part of our environment and shouldn’t have such a bad reputation or be associated with vampires! Not only do they eat tons of pesky mosquitoes and other insects that we might find annoying, but one of their most important jobs is in plant pollination and seed dispersal. These guys have an extremely important role in our environment, so, let’s all give credit where credit is due!
So how did spiders get weaved in with the Halloween animals too? It could possibly be from their unique body structure and the aversion many humans already possess towards them. Their long, sometimes hairy legs move in a way that can be quite unsettling (even creepy!) to some. Arachnaphobia is a largely known fear that many people share across the world, that some say is an evolutionary response to poisonous spiders our ancestors may have encountered, but it is also a legitimate phobia (in fact I have quite the case myself). Fearing a creature that is poisonous is probably a good thing. They are a great form of pest control, eating other insects that could infest your home or leave you with some itchy bites. In addition, most spiders aren’t poisonous and won’t bite you. They are prey for many different types of small animals, which is important in any healthy ecosystem. Walking into a spiderweb is nobody’s idea of a good time, but can we cut them some slack?
What other nature connections will you find with Halloween this year? Email us at [email protected] to share!