If You Think Bats Are Terrifying These 57 Pics Will Change Your Mind

Bats. They get a bad rap, don’t they? They’ll fly in my hair! They’ll suck my blood! They have rabies! While there may be the slightest grain of truth in the blood-feeding and rabies myths (only 3 species of bat feed on blood, while less than 1% of bats carry the rabies virus), these adorable animals are certainly not interested in flying near your hair and would much rather eat a piece of yummy fruit or some insects.

Not only the cute bats are none of the things listed above - they're actually vital to many ecosystems. Eating various kinds of vermin and pest insects bats can lessen the use of pesticides and the fruit bats help in pollinating many plants. And with more than 1,200 types of bats, all of them contribute in different ways.

To further disprove the unfair reputation our poor bat buddies have been saddled with, we here at Bored Panda have compiled a list of bat photos where these animals are just being their true selves. We think you’ll agree that they are completely adorable! Scroll down to check out the fluffy cute bats below; they are sure to change your perceptions about these night-flyers forever. We sure would love to get a pet bat for ourselves or at least scratch a baby bats belly!