Nocturnal animals like bats and raccoons feast on pests in San Antonio and beyond.
With fluffy tails that pick up ticks during trots through the forest, opossums can polish off about 5,000 of the bugs per week. That’s 5,000 fewer potential carriers of diseases that harm humans.SAN ANTONIO — After human San Antonians call it a day, nocturnal animals — furry or winged — come out to play. And we should thank them.
“A lot of our animals in our urban areas are actually nocturnal and not everybody realizes how many there are,” said Maureen Frank, assistant professor and wildlife specialist at Texas A&M Agrilife Extension in Uvalde. “Sometimes we think of wildlife being out there, outside the city, but a lot of species have adapted to the urban environment and they live right along with us.”
Texas has 40 species of bat, each one eating a variety of insects. A couple of species, right at the Mexican border, also eat agave nectar and help pollinate the plant throughout South Texas. And bats have a sweet tooth for mosquitoes. While that bug accounts for less of a bat’s diet than others, like moths, it’s enough to help manage the pest’s numbers.Photos courtesy of the Department of Defense
Many of these predators aren’t strictly nocturnal, but mostly they prefer the nighttime, when fewer two-legged threats are around to cramp their style.
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