Long-fingered bat swooping to catch a fish.
(Image by Antton Alberdi and Ostaizka Aizpurua)
Long-fingered bats that normally have an exclusively insect-based diet may catch fish in certain regions, a new study found. Researchers studied two groups of long-fingered bats – those known to catch fish and others that were exclusively insectivorous – to see their reactions to insect-like and fish-like prey. Although both groups could attack the fish-like targets, the bats that were used to fishing performed significantly better. These results suggest that all long-fingered bats are capable of catching fish, but those who have had to feed on fish in their regions hone their technique for better efficiency.
Authors:
Ostaizka Aizpurua, Antton Alberdi, Joxerra Aihartza, Inazio Garin
Corresponding author:
Ostaizka Aizpurua, University of Copenhagen, Email: ostaizka.aizpurua@snm.ku.dk
Original paper published in PLOS One on December 14, 2016.
