There are three species that feed primarily on blood (the “vampire” bats) while the remaining 1,300 species feed on things like insects, rodents, and nectar. These vampire bats are where the group as a whole got their connection to Halloween.
When these bats were first observed lapping up the blood of cattle in Central and South America they were quickly given the label of “vampires.” This idea was made concrete when Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) depicted vampires shapeshifting into bats. Another unfortunate association bats have going for them is one with witches. It is believed that witches worshipped horned figures with wings—possibly bats? Furthermore, it is said that witches used bat blood in their “flying” concoctions.
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