COLUMBUS, Ohio – The death of a vampire bat 19 days after birth has given scientists studying the animals in 2019 an invisible chance to see a rare event: a female breast adopting an unattached baby.
The researchers had captured common vampire bats in Panama as part of ongoing studies on the formation of cooperative relationships among foreigners. The team used infrared surveillance cameras to monitor six hours of vampire bat activity circulating over each day.
Two unrelated and inexperienced female bats were observed creating a social bond based on connection to each other and food sharing that increased over time. The researchers had named BD and Lilith.
A female pup Lilith was born about five weeks after the bats met in captivity. As Lilith became ill and spent less time caring for her puppy, BD picked up the slab and apparently began to nurse the baby. After Lilith died, BD adopted the puppy, regularly fostering, breeding and sharing blood feeds with the baby with almost no help from other adults in the colony.
“It is very interesting that the little puppy has been adopted by the mother’s closest social partner,” said lead author Imran Razik, a graduate student in evolution, ecology and biology. organic studies at Ohio State University.
“Even though it is only one observation, this method of recording social interactions every day for many hours allows us to better position and understand these social relationships. it’s about social relations. “
The study is published today (February 10, 2021) in Royal Society Open Science.
Razik works in the lab of lead author Gerald Carter, assistant professor of evolution, ecology and organic biology at Ohio State, who studies the social behavior of bat vampire.
For this study, the team put together 23 adult common vampire bats and three juveniles captured from three wildly set roses into a single captive colony, with plans to track how it developed. strangers social relationships over time.
Over four months, three surveillance cameras captured 652 hours of sampling times, recording any collaborative behavior that lasted at least five seconds. Vampire bats usually breed each other and recycle their food to feed roses that have not been successful in getting their own diet of live animal blood. The Carter group employs adult bats to split costly investments between recently introduced feeds.
The study showed a number of clear trends. BD and Lilith continued to grow together for a period of time almost identically, and BD shared food with Lilith up to the time of her death, even though Lilith did not often share food with BD. Lilith’s groom abruptly gave birth to her pup shortly after giving birth, and she was barely interacted with food with the pup gone. After Lilith died (of what the researchers believed was a gastrointestinal illness), BD provided regular mating support to the puppy, and her food sharing with the baby was markedly increased. BD was still caring for the puppy at the end of the test.
BD’s interaction with the child began before Lilith died.
“I noticed that the puppy would sometimes pull over and connect with BD now and then. And as Lilith became ill, I noticed that the puppy would spending more time near BD. I believe Lilith did not have the energy for the puppy as she normally would, “said Razik.
Although the researchers do not know when or which method, BD began to subside. On the day Lilith died, Razik hand-milked milk from BD to prove that she would be able to have the puppy who was “still at a level of full dependence.”
The researchers don’t know why BD caught Lilith’s puppy, but the social connection of adult vampire bats may provide hints.
“These two females had friendly relations with several other bats in the colony, but those were not as strong as their relationship with each other,” Razik said. “This is just one view, but it’s interesting to think about what’s going on.”
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This work was supported by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, with which the authors are affiliated; Animal Behavior Society; graduate enrichment fellowship from Ohio State; a student research grant from Sigma Xi; and Critical Difference Grant for Professional Development Women from Ohio State. Additional co-authors are Bridget Brown and Rachel Page, both from Ohio State.
Contact:
Imran Razik,
[email protected]
Written by Emily Caldwell,
[email protected]
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