Short Wave How Baby Bats Learn To Eavesdrop On Dinner
34 snips
May 14, 2025 
In this fascinating discussion, Rachel Page, a behavioral ecologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, shares her insights on the eavesdropping habits of fringe-lipped bats. She uncovers how these bats listen in on frog mating calls to locate their meals. The conversation delves into how baby bats learn this skill, distinguishing between safe and toxic frogs through sound. Page draws intriguing parallels between these bats' cognitive development and that of human children, shedding light on the sophistication of animal behavior.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Rachel Page's Bat Discovery
- Rachel Page fell into studying bats because of the enormous urban colony in Austin, Texas.
- She was mesmerized by how bats avoid collisions and recognize their own echolocation calls.
Bats’ Eavesdropping Evolution
- Fringe-lipped bats eavesdrop on frog mating calls to find prey.
- They distinguish edible frogs from poisonous ones based on call characteristics.
Frog Calls as Acoustic Beacons
- Male frogs make loud calls that signal both mates and predators like bats.
- Bats use echolocation plus chemical cues to locate and assess prey.