These Bat Teeth Were Made for Chompin’: An Evolutionary History of Bat Teeth
Featured Image Caption: Bats like the Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba) pictured above eat fruits, primarily figs, using their short
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bats
Bats Can Chat! Bats use echolocation to identify group members
Halloween has passed, but we can still have fun talking about bats! Bats use echolocation to find food, but could there be more hiding in these calls? Social bats search for prey together to reduce the time and energy it takes to find food. Besides, teamwork makes the dream work! Bats need to identify group members to know who is searching and where they have been. Echolocation calls are distinct between individuals allowing bats to discriminate among groupmates.
Read moreA way forward: an ecological hypothesis to understand and predict disease spillover events
It is critical that we understand all of the pieces of spillover events so that they can be predicted and ideally prevented. Scientists at Auburn University recently considered the two main hypotheses for spillover, and asked how do pathogens with the potential to spillover from wildlife to humans arise in damaged or altered landscapes?
Read moreWill Groom for Food: Social Bonds in Vampire Bats
For vampire bats, friendship is costly. Researchers show how low risk cooperative behaviors can lead to social bonding – and sharing a meal.
Read moreBats, Immunity, and COVID-19
Did you know that bats could help us fight human viral infections? Believe it or not, bats are incredible at staying well when infected by viruses! By studying how their immune systems respond to infection, researchers may be able to find new ways to help treat human diseases.
Read moreMacadamia Farmers Going Nuts Over Birds and Bats
Removing natural vegetation around farms may keep crop predators such as monkeys off farms, but it also can keep away beneficial species of birds and bats that eat common insect pests. Do the services provided by birds and bats outweigh the disservices from monkeys? Researchers ventured into macadamia orchards to try and crack open the answer.
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