With Halloween upon us, spooky symbols of the holiday abound — including bats. It just so happens to also be International Bat Week, which celebrates the role of bats in nature. Coincidence?

Have you ever wondered how certain animals have became to be linked with Halloween? Spiders, bats, black cats. There are numerous animal-related superstitions, especially around Halloween.

Q. Halloween brings forth some menacing creatures. The scariest to me is Dracula when he is a blood-sucking bat turning people into vampires. It got me wondering: Are vampire bats real?

F.T. MUIJRES/AFP/Getty Images Share The bat phone is ringing off the hook, you might say. Just in time for Halloween, bats are increasingly being spotted in the Chicago area as the weather cools ...

For instance, pumpkins and bats. There are many theories of why bats are associated with Halloween. First, bats being perceived as spooky - partly due to their characteristics - being nocturnal ...

Enjoy beautiful bat photography from conservationist and wildlife photographer Merlin Tuttle Marianne Taylor; Photographs by Merlin Tuttle Today is both Halloween and the last day of Bat Week ...