I find it more than a creepy coincidence that the first 2020 United States quarter coins have pictures of bats, for the first time in American history. Is that what was eaten to start the pandemic?

They are technically called the Samoan flying fox (Pteropus samoensis), but they are large bats. You can't make this stuff up.

You really can't make it up. Actually I wish you had.

Eating bats is bad. Don't know about Samoan flying foxes

"I'll have samoa flying fox please."

The Horse Shoe bat
was getting the blame .....



ROCKMAN

Totally gross

Actually, not totally gross at all. Flying Foxes (they are not bats, but this applies to bats as well) are extraordinarily clean creatures. They keep the fruit on the ground from rotting and causing disease spread. The only reason their meat (which is quite tasty and eaten in many parts of the world) has the connection to the latest virus is because of unsanitary conditions in which it was being sold and stored. Bat guano, their excrement, is essential in gardening although it has been linked in its natural state to ebola although that connection has never been proven to my knowledge. I lived in areas with both bats (many many different kinds, they are widespread throughout the world) and flying foxes, and it was a treat to see the FFs hanging from the trees during daytime...so many they looked like leaves on the trees.

Now if you want to talk gross, lets talk squirrels aka bushy tailed rats, or racoons those cute little bandit faced buggers.

jb