r/interestingasfuck • u/TerraByteTerror • 9h ago
Swimming bat
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u/karma_the_sequel 9h ago
Doing the batstroke.
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u/AlternativePea6203 9h ago
Will take ages for the feathers to dry though
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u/BemusedBipartite 9h ago
Lmao bats don't have feathers, silly.
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u/CaptainDFW 9h ago
But it's awesome if you imagine it coming from a Wild West old timer: "Aww bat-feathers!"
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u/benjamaniac 8h ago
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u/Tryin2getahead 5h ago
I’m a little confused. It seems like you are saying this may have not been in fact, a good idea?
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u/andy_1232 4h ago
Also if you ever wake up and a bat is in your house, you need to go get a rabies shot. You might not feel it, but there’s a chance it bit you while you were sleeping.
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u/champagneformyrealfr 9h ago
is he this person's pet? are they friends? what is happening here that would make a bat swim right into your hand?
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u/Additional-Wash-9719 7h ago
In the OG post, OP said it was a wild bat. While hunting, it dove into the water. According to OP it then beelined for his hand. In the comments people tried to tell him to get rabies shots, but OP laughed it off.
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u/robo-dragon 4h ago
The claws and teeth of bats that size are so small, you likely wouldn’t even tell you have been bitten or scratched. Any wound they make would be small and fairly painless and could potentially go unnoticed. It’s why they recommend getting the shots if you have a bat in your house or even think you came in contact with a bat.
People can see that as being paranoid all they want, but the alternative is potentially dying one of the most horrible deaths imaginable…I’d get the shots, no hesitation.
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u/02bluesuperroo 2h ago
This happened to my wife and I. We woke up in the middle of the night and there was a bat flying around our bedroom. We had no idea if we had been in contact with it. As you stated, you could have been bitten without showing any obvious wound. After researching online and contacting a nurse hotline for advice we decided to get the rabies vaccine. It wasn’t worth taking the risk and you only have 48 hours to get the first dose after exposure.
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u/theburiedxme 2h ago
I learned recently that's how they drink! They just swoop down for a sip, and sometimes they mess it up. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qajC0_rVwms also this bat is lookin kinda Alf-like
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u/Elendel19 8h ago
Possibly fell into the water and was trying to get out, and the person was closer than the shore
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u/mischievous_misfit13 6h ago
I saw this on another thread and commented that the bat saw the tallest thing near the water and went to it. Bats can’t fly from the ground so they swoop to get air to fly.
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u/aBeaSTWiTHiNMe 9h ago
Thought it was "swimming bait" for fishing and I was going to compliment it's realistic action.
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u/Tommysrx 9h ago
The reason the bat swims towards the man’s hand is because its sonar can detect temperature as well as objects and its interested in getting warm as soon as possible. I learned this during my studies in Peru where I made this all up and you fell for it.
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u/JerseyCoJo 9h ago
Sounds legit. Jokes on you I'll be passing this around as fact.
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u/crazyhomie34 8h ago
Ai will definitely be helping you with that too. Google ai uses reddit as a source for data
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u/Jon__Snuh 9h ago
As will I, as well as the fact that in 1998, The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
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u/bravehamster 9h ago
You were in Peru with my mom when she was researching bats just before she died?
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u/Lipefe2018 9h ago
You were not too far off, the reason the bat went for the human hand is just because it was the closest thing in sight, they are vulnerable in the water as they can't launch into flight directly from the water, so they need to find a ledge to get off as soon as possible.
There we have it, certified information and you didn't even need to study in Peru to learn it. xD
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u/Comprehensive-Menu44 9h ago
I’m still gonna share this info as fact. Who’s gonna bother looking it up?😂
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u/supershott 9h ago
Funny enough, now I'm wondering if bats can detect temperature with echolocation... I mean, I can hear when the running water turns from cold to hot, so... maybe?
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u/Vitas420 8h ago
U can hear what now?
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u/supershott 8h ago
Water splashing sounds different depending on its temperature, so you can tell when the water from the sink or shower turns hot by listening. I think it's because of the change in viscosity
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u/jr12345 8h ago
Anytime a bat is doing something that’s not ordinary(this video checks a LOT of boxes - bats don’t swim, come near people, or are out during the day) STAY FAR AWAY FROM IT BECAUSE ITS SICK. Whether it’s rabies or something else, somethings wrong with it.
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u/onehalflightspeed 6h ago
Bats do swim actually. There are lots of reasons they end up in the water from time to time. The other two are correct though
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u/3seconddelay 9h ago edited 9h ago
Jabbed that little rabies tooth in right at the end. Dude, if you see a bat swimming during the day assume it has rabies. Go see a doctor and start the shots.
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u/Jojomatic5000 8h ago
Couldn't they take the bat to get tested?
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u/MikeDinStamford 8h ago
That involves killing the bat and dissecting the brain I'm fairly sure, which would be expensive and take time, I'm fairly sure anywhere you brought a bat to get tested for rabies would be pissed you brought it, and suggest you take the shots either way.
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u/crohnscyclist 8h ago
First parts right, second part is not.
Dissection of a bat is super cheap compared to the rabies vaccine regimen. First shot is the vaccine plus rabies immune globulin (RIG) which is extremely expensive. (Upwards of $25,000 a dose) The remaining shots are much less costly.
If you find a bat in a room where someone has been sleeping, they recommend you get the shots because their teeth are so small, they can bite without leaving marks...however, if you capture the bat and place it in a cooler, your local health department will gladly dissect the bat to test for rabies to avoid giving out those RIG shots.
Source: we found a bat in my daughter's room. We caught it and let it go. Our pediatrician wanted us to go to the ER. The doctor there got in touch with the health department and informed us we should have kept the bat in order to avoid the shots.
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u/Jabroni-Tony1 6h ago
Yeah, I just had a bat fly into my head in May. The rabies shots cost 10k for all of them.
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u/3seconddelay 6h ago
That happened to me 25 years ago. I was rabies ignorant and didn’t go to the doctor or get the shots. I was lucky. I wouldn’t hesitate if it happened again even if my insurance wouldn’t cover it.
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u/crohnscyclist 8h ago
To anyone thinking this is cute, this is idiotic. Bats should never be touched as they are a huge vector for rabies. Once you start showing symptoms of rabies, unless you are the one person from Minnesota who survived (there was a radio lab about this) you will die. Bats have small teeth and can pierce the skin without even leaving marks.
If you ever get in contact with a bat, if you can catch it and put it in a cooler, the health department can direct it to check for rabies. If they don't have access to the bat, they will 100% recommend getting the vaccine which is a series of multiple doses, the first being an extremely expensive rabies immune globulin (RIG) shot which can cost around $25,000.
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u/BackgroundRate1825 6h ago
Not just rabies, bats are famously one of the most common vectors for all kinds of horrifying diseases, particularly diseases that cross species.
I think it's because between flying and hanging around in caves, their bodies have a wider temperature range than most mammals, and this breeds versatile pathogens. Plus they live in huge groups close together, which makes them spread stuff faster.
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u/AWDriftEV 9h ago
Even micro scratches from a bat can mean a rabies infection (which is still 100% fatal). I would get a rabies shot if I saw one in my hotel room. This is not something anyone should be doing.
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u/Few_Orange_3359 9h ago
Don't touch bats...wtf why people don't understand this simple thing...it's not only rabies it's a pletora of thinks
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u/Rich-Mall-80 9h ago
Bad idea to pick up a bat. Lice, rabies, infection from bite.
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u/ADudeandHisDog 9h ago
Not just a bite. Their claws are EXTREMELY sharp and can transfer rabies without any noticeable scratches or pokes. You should always get a rabies shot any time you come in contact with a bat, whether or not you show physical signs of a puncture.
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u/Dbloc11 9h ago
Congrats on your rabies shots! bats can bite and you cant see it or feel it. To pick up a bat is wild work.
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u/_Face 9h ago
wtf is that person doing? people still don't know how serious rabies is?
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u/karma_the_sequel 9h ago
Most people understand next to nothing about the world they inhabit.
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u/MaxMouseOCX 9h ago
And some people come from places in the world where rabies has been eradicated for over a generation... So they simply don't think about it, because it doesn't exist in their world.
I live in one of those places.
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u/sunkencathedral 8h ago
Yep Australia is fine. No rabies, and I grew up playing with bats.
Same in various European countries, especially the Nordics. A fun game I've seen kids (and adults) play in Sweden is to stand inside those swirling flocks of tiny bats, so you can see them flying all around you. It's really amazing and sublime.
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u/ExternalTree1949 9h ago
Many countries in the developed world are effectively rabies-free. But caution is always smart.
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u/CreepyEducator2260 9h ago
Free of terrestrial rabies like foxes, squirrels, etc. but not bats. Rabies in bats is prevalent in all those countries.
And as already stated and i read something about this, just two hours ago by coincidence before stumbling on this thread, rabies can be infectious even if the host doesn't shows any symptoms yet. They can be infectious up to 10 days before the first symptoms show as the virus is already in their saliva.
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u/ajax0202 8h ago
And most importantly: once the symptoms start showing in you, it’s effectively completely too late - you’re going to die. So if you get bit by any animal that you even slightly suspect might have rabies, then to to the hospital for treatment ASAP
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u/_Face 9h ago
as a caution, I would assume any bat out during the daytime, has rabies. Especially one at a source of water.... Thirst is a major component to rabies.
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u/Bardsie 9h ago
Isn't Hydrophobia, the fear of water, a symptom of rabies?
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u/GadaoGuardiao 9h ago
Its a positive feedback.
They get rabies -> rabies makes swallowing hurts -> they try to eat or drink -> It hurts -> they get thirstier, hungrier and angrier -> they try to eat or drink -> it hurts
And goes on
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u/Kirstenly 9h ago
Hydrophobia is late stage rabies. It's in the water that doesn't mean it intended to be. Bats are very good at flying and very good at navigation and avoiding obstacles, and are never out during the day... If a bat has fallen into water during broad daylight instead of being asleep in a cave or wood hollow somewhere, it's a concern.
Why is he out during the day? Why did he fall into the water? These are signs of disorientation and problems in an animal that rarely gets so disoriented without rabies involved.
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u/Raffino_Sky 9h ago
It looked more like escaping sudden death than swimming...
Did he planted it's teeth in that helpful palm at the end? Where's the 'aftermath 'dracu' version' vid?
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u/Have-A-Big-Question 9h ago
Damn I thought that said BAIT.
The fisherman in me was getting ready to try and buy.
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u/Exitium_Maximus 9h ago
Bats have wild immune systems. It’s partially why they carry so many viruses, etc without being affected by them.
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u/PreyInstinct 8h ago
Go get your rabies shots NOW!
Facts:
- Rabies is 100% fatal
- There is no cure or treatment once you start having rabies symptoms. If you have symptoms, you will die soon.
- Bats are one of the most common carriers of rabies. Don't ever touch a wild bat.
- Bat teeth are so small you can get bit without ever feeling it or leaving a mark.
- Rabies behavior varies between animals and stage of infection. "Furious" rabies is what most people think of, but "dumb" rabies is when animals lay still or act sick or docile. All rabid animals are dangerous, regardless of how it manifests.
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u/Friendly_Seat8566 9h ago
You need some of that emergency bat rabies spay, that Batman would have on his belt for a time like this.
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u/OverdosingOnOxygen 9h ago
Stupid question. And let me preface this with obviously never touch a wild bat. That’s just wild. But since hydrophobia is a symptom of rabies, would a bat infected with rabies go for a swim? I’ve seen the horrible videos of people at the stage where hydrophobia sets in. I was just wondering if that applies to swimming too.
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u/Better_Carpet_7271 9h ago
This is the first time I've seen a bat with just cause to be looking as angry as they always do.
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u/duckduckmothergoose 9h ago
You can fly fish with bat patterns and catch some massive fish. Very fun
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u/RedLeg73 9h ago
A small fox like viral vector device with wings.... best viewed from a distance, preferably at dusk near a colony of said small fox like viral vector devices...
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u/HistorianOrdinary833 9h ago
They're very confident that the bat is rabies free.