Leon Worden | SCVNEWS.COM  Just when you thought “rabid bat” season was over, two more showed up in the Santa Clarita Valley in time for Halloween.  Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox. After a lull in September, in October a Santa Clarita resident spotted a bat hanging from an eave of ...

What do bats and toothed whales have in common?  Certainly not size, not habitat, and not even how they get from one place to another.  But they both hunt using sound waves to locate their prey, a technique known as echolocation.  A recent report from the University of Southern Denmark concludes “that bats and toothed whales produce signals for echolocation ...

In 2013, 26 rabid bats have been found in the Los Angeles County region. Eleven of the 26 bats were found in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Two more rabid bats were discovered in the Santa Clarita Valley in late July and early August, bringing the local total for 2013 to seven, 39 percent of the Los Angeles County total.

The Santa Clarita Valley's fifth rabid bat turned up on a driveway in late July. L.A. County Department of Public Health officials warn residents to avoid handling bats that appear to be acting strangely. Call Animal Control instead.

Three rabid bats have been reported in Santa Clarita this year, and nine across L.A. County. Since 1961, an average eight to 10 cases were reported yearly, but numbers climbed in recent years. There were 38 reported cases in 2011 and 56 in 2012.

The first rabid bat in our area was found in Stevenson Ranch this May. Know the signs of rabies and avoid approaching or touching any bat acting strangely or flying during the day time. Seek immediate medical attention if bitten.