Ecology

Lizzy Ryan
Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve

(10/2019) October. The month of Halloween. The month where all the stores are selling fake spiders, bats, and other notoriously "creepy" things. The weather is turning crisp. Fall festivals are kicking off.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about these "creepy" things that become the focus of October. From bats to spiders, and ravens to rats, find out additional information on just why these eerie creatures are so cool.

Bats

There are nine species of bats that can be spotted in Pennsylvania. These include the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, Indiana bat, small-footed bat, silver-haired bat, tri-colored bat, big brown bat, red bat, and the hoary bat. Six of these bats hibernate here in the winter and three travel south. The species of bats that hibernate here find a nice cave to rest in. During this time, they eat nothing. They survive off the fat they accrued throughout the year.

Many people find bats creepy because they perceive them as dirty carriers of the rabies virus. However, other mammals are just as likely to carry rabies as bats. They also keep themselves relatively clean. Many also think of the fearsome vampire bat that feeds on blood. Luckily, the common vampire bat isn’t found around here, but instead is found in Mexico and South America. Our local bats feed on insects; eating an estimated one million insects per bat per year. Bats are also nocturnal, meaning they feed at night.

Bats have been known to live up to 30 years. With only one litter a year, most bear one single young per litter. Some larger bats may have a few more.

One of the greatest threats to bats is the white-nose syndrome. This terrible fungus has a high death rate and affects the bats mostly during hibernation. Bats become infected with the fungus through contact with other infected bats or from surfaces where the fungus might be (i.e. cave walls, or from humans carrying the fungus on shoes and clothes).

Spiders

These valuable creatures are in the class Arachnida. They eat other insects - many which can be a nuisance to humans.

One common species of spider is the wolf spider. These little guys are anywhere between 18 and 35 millimeters in length and are brown in color. Wolf spiders typically live in tunnels in the soil and under wood and rocks. Female wolf spiders can live several years, and males die before winter. They can bite when they are threatened.

Another common family of spiders are the orbweavers or Araneidae. Some of the orbweavers found in the area include the yellow garden spider, banded garden spider, cross orbweaver, marbled orbweaver, fierce orbweaver, and the spined micrathena. Like the name implies, orbweavers build large and beautiful webs or orbs. They are normally found in gardens and fields. Orbweavers are generally harmless. They just appear to be mean and scary because of their large size, bright colors, and big webs.

There are two species of spiders in our area that are considered venomous to humans. These are the black widow and brown recluse.

The brown recluse is a light brown spider with a small body and long legs. They are typically found in places that are warm – such as your house - because they are not native to this area. This species is actually native to the south. Bites from these spiders are uncommon, however they will bite if they feel threatened (such as being trapped between your skin and clothing). However, be warned as a bite from one of these critters might cause lesions on the skin.

The black widow spider has the iconic jet-black body with the red hourglass shape on their abdomen. The females will normally kill the males soon after mating, hence the name "widow." Adult females have fangs that are large enough to pierce human skin. If bitten by a black widow, symptoms can range from tingling in the extremities to the risk of anaphylaxis (although rare).

Maybe it’s their eight legs that makes them creepy, or maybe their tiny fangs, but either way, there is no need to fear these awesome creatures!

Ravens

Edgar Allen Poe made this bird famous with his poem. Perhaps that is why this bird gets the bad rap of being ominous and creepy. These jet-black birds can be 20-25 inches in length with a wingspan of four feet. Ravens are known to have quite the varied diet. They feed on carrion, insects, berries, nuts, and even eggs. Ravens are thought to mate for life and often like to build their nests along cliffs and will usually lay four to five eggs per year.

Ravens are considered songbirds as they have a large repertoire of calls they are able to make - sometimes even mimicking other birds. Although many are not aware, ravens are also one of the most intelligent birds known to mankind.

Rats

In this area, we have the Norway rat, also known as the brown rat. These rats came from Europe on ships in the late 1700s. They range in several different shades of brown and can reach up to one pound in weight. They can have six to eight litters per year with six to nine young per litter. The brown rat feeds on a variety of foods including human food, grains, plants, and insects.

Part of the reason why these creatures are creepy is because they have gained a reputation of being dirty animals. Rats are common carriers of several diseases. The famous Black Death, which occurred in 14th century Europe was spread quickly thanks to the help of rats. Fleas would jump from rat to rat and human to human spreading the plague quickly.

As we all celebrate Halloween this year, dressing up in costumes, trick or treating and decorating our homes with pumpkins, ghouls, skeletons and even some of these critters remember that even though these creatures become "in vogue" during the month of October, they are around us every day. There is no need to fear them, just understand and appreciate these amazing and unique organisms from a distance.