Collaborate Disseminate
In one of the strangest animal behavior discoveries this year, male serotine bats living in a church attic in the Netherlands have been captured on camera engaging in marathon sessions of non-penetrative sex – the first-ever instance of superficial-con… Continue reading Bat uses huge heart-shaped penis to maneuver female in unusual mating act
Pallas’s long-tongued bats have the fastest metabolism of any mammal, and feed on the nectar from flowers by hovering just outside of them like a hummingbird. Now, using high-speed infrared cameras, researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered that… Continue reading Bats rely on whiskers for super-fast feeding sessions
Wind energy is often thought of as “clean” but, in fact, the technology has the blood of thousands – if not millions – of bats on its hands. That’s not only because bats can fly into the giant wind turbine blades and die, but because the turbines creat… Continue reading Drone-mounted “bat shield” could help prevent wind turbine collisions
If you’ve ever listened to death metal rock or Mongolian throat singing, you’ll be familiar with the growling vocals that are part of both. Well, bats make similar sounds, and it turns out that they do so in the same manner as human singers.Continue Re… Continue reading Study shows that bats growl by channeling their inner death metal singer
When we think of animals that work together to hunt prey, we typically think of creatures such as wolves or orcas. Common bats may soon be added to that list, as a new study suggests that they show each other where the tasty insects can be found.Contin… Continue reading Study suggests “networking” bats work together to find food faster
Scientists studying memory and learning in frog-eating bats have made a surprising discovery, demonstrating that they can recognize ringtones tied to food rewards up to four years later. This behavior is believed to be useful in helping the bats hunt f… Continue reading Wild bats recognize ringtones tied to food rewards up to 4 years later
Greater mouse-eared bats are preyed upon by owls, but the owls themselves likely avoid hornets, for fear of getting stung. New research suggests that the bats take advantage of this fact, by buzzing like hornets to keep owls at bay.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Study suggests bats buzz like hornets to scare off owls
Because both bats and moths are nocturnal, bats use echolocation to zero in on the insects when hunting them in the dark. A new study, however, suggests that some moths have evolved special wingtips to avoid becoming a meal.Continue ReadingCategory: Bi… Continue reading Study finds that moth wingtips serve as bat-foiling “acoustic decoys”
For many years now, scientists have learned about the past by analyzing core samples taken from ice caps or soil. They have now applied that same technique to a millennia-old pile of bat poop, with interesting results.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology,… Continue reading Scientists tunnel back over 4,000 years in time – through bat guano
We all know that bats locate prey in the dark using echolocation, but … is that really all there is to it? Scientists decided to get more details on the animals’ hunting process, by equipping them with tiny wearable computers.Continue ReadingCategory: … Continue reading Bat “backpacks” provide new insights into hunting strategies