Bats

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A bat is a mammal in the order Chiroptera. Chiroptera means "hand-wing" and refers to their defining characteristic- the modified "hands" or front limbs which evolved to be long and bear a thin membrane which allows bats to fly. Bats are not rodents, even if they are both small and fuzzy.
Many people fear bats because they have the impression that all bats are rabid or aggressive. However, this is not true. Bats are naturally nocturnal, shy creatures, while people are large, loud, and like to be awake in the day or else have bright lights around them. So, bats would prefer to avoid us, and only special circumstances would change this- such as a disease like rabies that causes behavioral changes and increased aggressiveness. Bats do have some traits, like the ability to fly, which make them more able to spread disease, but according to the WHO, dogs are the cause of 99% of rabies cases in humans. The best way to avoid disease is not to fear certain animal species, but to be careful and not approach or touch any wild animals or stray pets.
The other bad rep bats get is their association with vampires. Vampire bats are probably the most famous bat, which leads some people to believe that all bats survive off the blood of other creatures. Vampire bats are a real creature, but they don't feed on humans, and never drain any animal to the point of killing it like their monstrous namesake. Only 3 species of bats are known to feed on blood. Most bats actually eat plants or insects, which gives them an important role in the environment.
Do you enjoy being stung by mosquitos? Probably not, and definitely not if you were bitten by one that carries malaria. But without bats, it would be happening a lot more often. The USGS estimates that 1 million bats could eat between 660 and 1320 metric tons of insects. Some bats can eat about 1,000 insects in only 1 hour.
Even more importantly, do you like eating food? I'm guessing you do- and you have bats to thank. Most large bat species eat fruit, nectar, or pollen. As they go from plant to plant or tree to tree to find food, these bats bring pollen from one flower to another, allowing fruit to grow. Bats are key pollinators in some desert and rainforest environments, and if you've ever enjoyed (or regretted) drinking tequila, a bat was responsible for fertilizing the agave plant used to make it. Even the bats that eat insects contribute to our food supply, because their diet includes agricultural pests, providing an extremely valuable pest control service.
Bats are threatened by white nose syndrome. See this website to learn more.