RELATED: HOW CATS, RATS, BATS, AND MORE BECAME HALLOWEEN ANIMALS

As the only mammal that can fly, bats were considered enigmatic beings—possibly with nefarious motives—in ancient times. "They resemble much despised rats but with peculiar, clawed wings that enclose their bodies like a dark cape as they hang upside down in trees," says Mayor. Pictured: A golden-mantled flying fox (Pteropus pumilus) at the Columbus Zoo.

"Spiders are usually black or gray and hide by day. They often spin their webs in dark corners and in abandoned places where ghosts might be encountered. Spiders were also feared because of their poisonous bites"; says Mayor. Pictured: Wolf spider(Hogna carolinesis) at Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida

"In ancient Rome and medieval Europe, it was said witches transformed into owls to fly at night. The screech of an owl was an omen of doom: the deaths of Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus were foretold by hooting owls. To avert evil, Romans nailed a dead owl to the door—a belief that persisted in 19th century England," Mayor says. Pictured: A southern white-faced scops owl (Ptilopsis granti) at the Houston Zoo.

"Cats, especially those as black as night, were believed to be the companions of witches in medieval Europe; some people even thought witches were reborn as black cats," says Mayor. Pictured: A black cat (Felix domesticus) in Burwell, Nebraska.

"Toads were not only thought to be unattractive creatures because of their warty skin, but, like spiders, their bodies were known to contain toxins," says Mayor. "The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that toads had two livers, one full of deadly poison and the other containing an antidote. So toads were used often in magic spells and witchcraft from antiquity through the Middle Ages—and even beyond—in Europe. "Toads were common ingredients in recipes for a host of poison plots involving black magic and satanic rites uncovered in 17th-century France. These associations with poison and sorcery gave toads a a nefarious reputation that still clings today," says Mayor. Pictured: Evergreen toads (Incilius coniferus or Bufo coniferus) photographed at the Atlanta Zoo.

"With their shiny black feathers, beady eyes, and habit of feeding on carrion," says Mayor, it's no wonder ravens have long been linked with witchcraft and darkness. Pictured: American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) at the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

"In antiquity, rats were known to infest abandoned, filthy, or tumbledown places believed to be haunted by ghosts. Nocturnal and secretive, rats were also feared in ancient times for their association with epidemics and plagues," says Mayor. Pictured: Domestic rats (Rattus rattus) at the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

"Modern folklore scholars point out that night owls, ravens, and bats probably inspired the nightmarish Strix, a terrifying creature deeply dreaded by ancient Romans and medieval Italians. Ovid and several other ancient writers described the Strix as a voracious night bird with a big head and staring eyes, a cruel, tearing beak, and vicious hooked talons. It was an evil omen to hear the horrid shriek of the Strix in the wee hours. The Strix was said to attack people who ventured out at night alone, especially children," says Mayor.

Pictured: a brown wood owl (Strix leptogrammica) perched in a tree