Many animals do not ensure their survival alone, but through cooperation – be it in the mutual hunting, protection against enemies or in boys. Bats also show an astonishing range of social behavior, from group quarters to mutual fur care. Now researchers have documented for the first time that the largest bat in America even shares its prey with family members.
Cooperative behavior is widespread in the animal world. Wolves hunting in the pack, elephants take care of the youngsters and birds support each other. Bats also show diverse forms of social interaction: Some species build together in large leaves and defend these quarters together, others maintain close physical contact and communicate through characteristic sounds. However, the full extent of the bat social life is still unclear, because large-scale studies on the topic are rare.
A family that holds together
Researchers around Marisa Tietge from the Museum für Naturalkunde in Berlin now have the social behavior of the big ones for the first time
