The Oddest Animal Group Names Explained

The Atlantic writer Rebecca Giggs describes a ghost bat killing a budgerigar (parakeet) and sucking the blood from its neck to reveal why humans have had an ancestral fear of bats. Of course, there are also the, arguably, much cuter fruit bats (or megabats), who look more like flying dogs than vampires or demons. But

The Atlantic writer Rebecca Giggs describes a ghost bat killing a budgerigar (parakeet) and sucking the blood from its neck to reveal why humans have had an ancestral fear of bats. Of course, there are also the, arguably, much cuter fruit bats (or megabats), who look more like flying dogs than vampires or demons. But since all bats are active at night, sleep upside down in clusters, and make shrieking noises, it's easy to see how, for a long time, people have associated them with the dark side of life. In Medieval times, this was witchcraft.

Bat Conservation International confirms, witches and bats (and witches' cauldrons) have been associated for a long time. William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" song, "Double, double toil and trouble," stands as proof: "Double, double toil and trouble/Fire burn and caldron bubble ... Eye of newt and toe of frog/Wool of bat and tongue of dog." 

As per Sycamore Land Trust, the 19th century shifted bats' association from witches to vampires, as a result of Bram Stoker's 1897 "Dracula" showing vampires shapeshifting into bats. Nowadays, this connection is kept alive by Halloween costumes and decorations. And since Halloween is also the time for wizards and witches, sometimes bats are still shown by their side. Bats' group name — "a cauldron of bats" — is thus a perfect rendition of their centuries-long association with witchcraft (an association which, as per Issues, has harmed bats more than anything).

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