Whether on the Discovery channel or Youtube, we have probably all seen a clip of thousands of bats rushing from the entrance of a cave. But have you ever wondered how they coordinate such a large event? To orchestrate so many bodies passing through one space simultaneously seems an arduous task.
Researcher Erin H. Gillam and colleagues have recently explored this question. They found that Brazillian free-tailed bats, when emerging from a cave, emit two distinct types of calls, frequency-modulated (FM) and constant frequency (CF). These two types of calls significantly differ from the echolocation calls used while foraging. It is suggested that the emergence calls encode for more spatial information and are direction-related, allowing for more efficient navigation and hazard assessment.
For the detailed findings you can view the article here: http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1644/09-MAMM-A-302.1
It seems appropriate that such a coordinated task would require a more extensive set of signals for communication.
Jen Kodela (2)
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Very interesting article, but i have one question: how do these frequencies compare to when the bats are simply communicating, aside from foraging? There must be more signals sent regarding danger, feeding times, location and needs.
ReplyDeleteAhmed sandakli