Much as some harmless snakes have evolved coloring that imitates that of their dangerous relatives, some bats make buzzing noises that look like a hornets, a new research study discovers. The authors of the paper, published today (May 9) in Current Biology, suggest that higher mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) do this to evade predators. The researchers inform The Independent that this is the very first instance of Batesian mimicry– where a harmless types imitates another, more dangerous one to secure itself from predation– discovered in mammals. After being recorded by an owl, the bats main predator, the researchers describe that buzzing might distract the predator, providing the bats an opportunity to leave. Research study coauthor Danilo Russo, a biologist at the University of Naples Federico II in Portici, Italy, tells The Independent, “Buzzing may trick the predator for a split second– enough to fly away.” Barn owl (Tyto alba) Maurizio FraissinetThe researchers first observed the buzzing nearly 2 decades earlier during field experiments in which they captured bats in light-weight nets. “When we dealt with the bats to take them out of the web or procedure them, they usually buzzed like wasps,” states Russo. New Scientist reports that it was only just recently that Russo had the ability to discover a team of researchers ready to examine the phenomenon. He and his coworkers started by evaluating the acoustics of the excellent mouse-eared bat buzzing signal and sounds released by a western honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a European hornet (Vespa crabro). The researchers kept in mind that bats gave off a broader series of both lower and higher frequencies, however when the team restricted the frequencies to only those that owls could hear, the signals started to appear very similar.Next, the scientists wished to check how barn owls (Tyto alba) would react to the bats buzzing noises. Through a speaker, the researchers played recordings of the honey bee, hornet, and mouse-eared bat buzzing to both wild and captive owls, finding that in all circumstances, the owls moved even more far from the source. When they played other bat vocalizations, the owls approached the speaker. The scientists warn that while bees and hornets likely do sting owls, theres not sufficient data yet to make a conclusion about why the owls avoid the buzzing noises. Benjamin Sulser, who studies bat advancement at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and was not involved in the research study, says he is interested but not shocked by the findings. “If I grabbed a bat and it made a hornet noise, I d hesitate, and Im not even a bat predator,” he informs New Scientist..
