A shocking secret revealed by the tiny backpack worn by bats

Scientists have obtained the first direct evidence of bats capturing and eating Bird In mid-air, confirming long-held theories about the animal’s predatory behavior.

Research published in journal ScienceSmall data-recording backpack used to track as many nights as possible Bat in the south spain,

The devices captured their altitude, speed and the sound of their prey encounter, revealing the moment a bat stalked and ate a migratory robin during the night.

Researchers recorded the bats climbing to more than 1,200 meters before rapidly diving towards the bird. The recording included feeding sounds lasting 23 minutes, suggesting that the animal was eating its prey even while in flight.

Dr Laura Studsholt, co-author of the research based at Aarhus University, said: “It is interesting that bats are able not only to catch them, but also to kill and eat them while they are flying.

“A bird like this weighs about half as much as a bat – it would be like me catching a 35kg animal and eating it while I’m jogging.”

The team also found evidence of bird feathers scattered beneath habitat areas, which DNA analysis linked to species such as robins and warblers. Scientists believe that bats shed their wings to make it easier for the rest of the bird in the air to eat.

“Using.” [these] high tech approach, Science The paper is the first to track the hunting maneuver of a large nocturnal bird to pursue and capture a robin, said Danilo Russo, a bat ecologist at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy who was not involved in the study. told science news,

“Although there are no visual observations of the predation episode, in my opinion, this study provides strong evidence that birds are caught in flight.”

The Greater Noctule is the largest bat in Europe and was already known to feed on bird feces and wing fragments, based on evidence. But this study offers the first direct evidence of the hunting process in real time.

Experts say the findings reshape what scientists know about aerial predators. Under the cover of darkness, nocturnal birds can climb to heights similar to migratory birds and attack with precision while maintaining flight.

The study authors say the discovery sheds light on how bats and birds interact during migration and could help inform conservation strategies for both groups.