In the dark, bats identify each other by voice

Individual bats have the ability to tell the difference between other bats just by the sound of their voice, according to a study published in PLoS Computational Biology.

Researchers from the University of Tuebingen, Germany found that the greater mouse-eared bat could distinguish between their fellows’ echolocation calls. A subject bat was tested by having to select between two others depending on their calls. The subject bats chose correctly over 80 percent of the time.


The greater mouse-eared bat is native to Europe. Photo by: Manuel Warner.
"If you think of this in comparison with humans, it's like being able to recognize a person just by listening to the same one-syllable yell in different voices, " head of the study, Dr. Yossi Yovel told the BBC. "The bats learned the voice by listening to hundreds of very short 'yells', but they then were able to recognize an individual based on one single yell."

Researchers then produced a computer model that reproduced the recognition behavior displayed by the bats. The model suggests that the bat’s calls contain spectral energy distribution that is unique to every individual, allowing the bats to tell one another apart simply by listening.

CITATION: Yovel Y, Melcon ML, Franz MO, Denzinger A, Schnitzler H-U (2009) The Voice of Bats: How Greater Mouse-eared Bats Recognize Individuals Based on Their Echolocation Calls. PLoS Comput Biol 5(6): e1000400.

Taken from mongabay.com
June 08, 2009

From the Rainforest to your home: Happy World Biodiversity Day!

The United Nations proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Proyecto Asis is committed to preserving the flora and fauna, as well as to encourage our visitors and resident people on the importance of having a development in harmony with nature.
What is happening with the human race?
1) We are eliminating populations and species faster than we can discover new ones.
2) We cut down thousands of acres of virgin forest every year.
3) We are polluting our environment and changing background environmental conditions faster than nature can respond.
4) We worry about the loss of species usually once it is too late to effectively do anything about it.
Stop right now and analyze the importance of biodiversity…
What can we do now?
It’s simple: Start planting in your own yard, take care of your pet animals and have respect for all the species that you can see in everywhere.
Take a time for volunteer. If you have the possibility to travel abroad, come and visit Proyecto Asis. Nature awaits you. Be the change you want to see in the world!.