In last year’s Halloween-themed column, I focused on local wild species with some element of fright in their name: flora and fauna with words like devil, Lucifer, hell, witch, gorgon and monster in their names. Building upon this, let’s have a look at several species associated with Halloween itself, sorting out ones that are truly dangerous from those possessing traits that have piqued our imaginations despite lacking any real menace.
A fitting place to start is with bats, given that Arizona hosts 29 species—more than any other state, save Texas which arguably cheats by virtue of its immensity.
Amidst this impressive diversity is nary a vampire bat, so don’t worry about having your blood pilfered by a flying mammal. For that particular bucket list item, you’ll need to travel to southern Sonora, Mexico, where the common vampire bat occurs. Sorry to burst your Halloween bubble! Still, it’s no great leap of imagination to think that climate change—the true horror story here—might one day see these real life vampires inhabiting our Sky Islands region. Bed netting anyone?
The common vampire bat targets mostly mammals for their blood meal, creating precise cuts in their hosts—including birds, and yes, humans at times—with their razor-sharp incisors. Once the blood starts flowing, they eagerly lap it up as their sole sustenance, aided by the anti-coagulation properties of their saliva. While the blood loss induced by feeding vampire bats is minimal, they have been known to transmit diseases to humans. On the other hand, the saliva of the vampire bat has been used to craft medicine that helps stroke patients, and of course, the three extant vampire species have an inherent value.
As for the regularly occurring bat species in the Sky Islands, they generally pose no real threat to us. As long as you don’t handle one that’s playing in their excrement, or avoid spelunking in a dense colony, you will easily avoid any diseases they may carry. Instead, simply admire the diverse and crucial ecological roles they play in the Sky Islands and beyond. Failure to do so may drive you batty.
Sticking with creatures of the night, let’s look at the species that is quite possibly the source of the concept of the ghost: barn owls. Various members of the genus Tyto range across all the planet’s continents (excepting Antartica), bringing them in close contact with humans at times. If a species, such as our local American barn owl, shows up in an old building, where they often nest, or, better yet, a cemetery, then their sizable pale form may well make the mind leap to departed souls even as the heart skips a beat. Of course, barn owls pose no threat to us and help to keep rodent populations in check.
Transitioning from overhead to under-foot, everyone knows that tarantulas are dangerous…right? Not so fast. Even our largest species are likely to only make your skin crawl. Yes, they possess a venomous bite and stinging hairs on their sizable abdomens, either of which should prove no more troublesome to us than a honeybee sting—except in the case of any anaphylactic reactions.
Black widow bites, on the other hand, can be more dangerous, given the potent neurotoxins in their venom. Some hospitals carry widow antivenom in case a patient is suffering a severe reaction. Regardless, what would Halloween be without a few menacing arachnids?
Some warts may serve you nicely as part of your Halloween apparel—just don’t count on acquiring them from any of our local toad species. Our Woodhouse’s toad is most like those often associated with October 31st. Your best chance of encountering one is during the humid swelter of monsoon season. Simply avoid handling them or any other wild creature and you won’t have any skin reactions and certainly no warts.
Add in a few snakes, ravens, some poison ivy and giant centipedes—who inspired the titular “Tingler” from a truly bad Vincent Price horror flick —and various other creepy crawlies and you have the makings of a memorable Halloween.
In parting I bid you a truly horrifying Halloween. Me? I’ll be dancing to the Monster Mash and the song “Spiders and Snakes,” while reveling in all of the lore associated with this uniquely twisted holiday.
Vincent Pinto and his wife, Claudia, run RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS LLC, their Nature Adventure & Conservation organization devoted to protecting and promoting the unique biodiversity of the Sky Islands region. RWWJ offers a wide variety of private, custom-made courses, birding & biodiversity tours. Visit ravensnatureschool.org