At bat: Mammal will represent Eno festival

DURHAM -- This year's choice to represent the Festival for the Eno is cute, furry and -- yes -- a bat.

Though you won't see it by day, the Eastern Red Bat is the most common mammal in Eno River State Park. The nocturnal tree-dweller swoops down at night to eat flying insects. You might catch it zigzagging from trees after sundown.

At just 4 inches tall and weighing about half a pound, the Red Bat (Lasiurus borealisis) is nothing to be afraid of. The mammal lives mostly alone except when migrating or mating. It hides itself well in its upside-down perch, resembling a patch of dead leaves or a pine cone.

Admirers of the bat -- which, like all bats, conjures images of bloodsucking and Dracula -- say it is often misunderstood.

"They've got the facial features that are just hard-wired into people's brains to think of as cute," said Greg Bell of the Eno River Association. "When they're around, the mosquitoes are gone."

Unlike birds, bats use both their arms and legs to fly. In winter the Red Bat hibernates on the south side of trees and slows its metabolism to a fraction of its normal rate. But when cold weather comes, its metabolism picks up to help it keep warm.

The Red Bat is found across most of the eastern United States. It has a small face, large ears and bright red fur, and wraps its long tail around its body to keep warm. It feeds around the forest edge, at clearings and sometimes near street lamps.

T-shirts featuring the bat can be purchased at the festival's Big Top tent for $15 to $20.