MSGID: 1:317/3 6279ea9d   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    These bats deter predators by buzzing like hornets    
      
     Date:   
         May 9, 2022   
     Source:   
         Cell Press   
     Summary:   
         In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a more dangerous   
         one in an evolutionary 'ruse' that affords the mimic protection   
         from would-be predators. Now, researchers have discovered the first   
         case of acoustic Batesian mimicry in mammals and one of very few   
         documented in any species: greater mouse-eared bats imitate the   
         buzzing sound of a stinging insect to discourage predatory owls   
         from eating them.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a more dangerous one in   
   an evolutionary "ruse" that affords the mimic protection from would-be   
   predators.   
      
   Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on May 9, 2022, have   
   discovered the first case of acoustic Batesian mimicry in mammals and   
   one of very few documented in any species: greater mouse-eared bats   
   imitate the buzzing sound of a stinging insect to discourage predatory   
   owls from eating them.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   "In Batesian mimicry, a non-armed species imitates an armed one to   
   deter predators," said Danilo Russo of Universita` degli Studi di Napoli   
   Federico II in Portici, Italy. "Imagine a bat that has been seized but   
   not killed by the predator. Buzzing might deceive the predator for a   
   fraction of a second - - enough to fly away."  Russo made the discovery   
   while conducting field research in which he frequently caught the bats   
   in mist-netting operations. "When we handled the bats to take them out of   
   the net or process them, they invariably buzzed like wasps," Russo says.   
      
   They recognized the buzzing as some sort of unusual distress call. They   
   thought there might be different reasons the bats made the sound. Perhaps   
   it could send a warning to others of its species or deter predators. Russo   
   and team put the idea aside and continued along with other research   
   questions. Years later, they decided it was time to design a careful   
   experiment to test their ideas about that buzzing.   
      
   In their studies, they first looked at the acoustic similarity between   
   buzzing sounds of the bats and stinging social hymenopteran insects. Next,   
   they played those sounds back to captive owls to see how they would react.   
      
   Different owls reacted in variable ways, likely depending on their   
   prior experiences. Nevertheless, they consistently reacted to insect   
   and bat buzzes by moving farther away from the speaker. In contrast,   
   the sound of potential prey got them to move closer. The researchers say   
   the findings provide the first example of interspecific mimicry between   
   mammals and insects as well as one of few examples of acoustic mimicry.   
      
   Interestingly, their analysis of the sounds revealed that the similarity   
   between buzzes broadcast by hornets and bats was most evident only   
   once acoustic parameters that the owls can't hear were excluded from   
   the analysis.   
      
   In other words, Russo explains, the buzzing sounds are even more similar   
   when heard the way owls hear them.   
      
   Do owls avoid that buzzing sound because they've been stung before? Russo   
   says that stinging insects likely do sting owls, but they don't have   
   the data to prove it. There is other evidence that birds avoid such   
   potentially noxious insects, however. For example, when hornets move   
   into nest boxes or tree cavities, birds in general won't even explore   
   them and they certainly don't nest there.   
      
   Because the three study species in question all share many of the same   
   spaces, such as buildings, rock crevices, or caves, there is likely   
   to be plenty of opportunity for them to interact, according to the   
   researchers. Even so, they find this intricate relationship among   
   distantly related species intriguing.   
      
   "It is somewhat surprising that owls represent the evolutionary   
   pressure shaping acoustic behavior in bats in response to unpleasant   
   experiences owls have with stinging insects," says Russo. "It is just   
   one of the endless examples of the beauty of evolutionary processes!"   
   Russo notes that there are many other vertebrate species that also   
   buzz when disturbed and hundreds of bat species, some of which may use   
   similar strategies. They hope to look for these interesting dynamics   
   within other interacting groups in future studies.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Cell_Press. Note: Content may be   
   edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Leonardo Ancillotto, Donatella Pafundi, Federico Cappa, Gloriana   
         Chaverri, Marco Gamba, Rita Cervo, Danilo Russo. Bats mimic   
         hymenopteran insect sounds to deter predators. Current Biology,   
         2022; 32 (9): R408 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.052   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220509112030.htm   
      
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