Finding prey by associative learning in gleaning bats: experiments with a Natterer`s bat Myotis nattereri

• Autorzy: Siemers B.M.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

I show that a Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri) was operantly conditioned to echo cues from a large object; in this case a round bowl full of mealworms. In a subsequent choice experiment the bat preferred the empty, round bowl over an unknown, quadratic bowl filled with prey. I suggest that the quick but transient learning of cues indicating prey rich habitat patches might be adaptive for bats hunting in cluttered environments, where they can often not directly detect prey using echolocation. Therefore, it might be an additional foraging strategy of some gleaning bats to search for specific structural cues indicating a high probability of prey being present.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Natterer's bat; bat; Myotis nattereri; prey perception; echolocation; learning; gleaning; foraging; experiment

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Chiropterologica
• Rocznik: 2001
• Tom: 03
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.211-215,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Siemers B.M.

• Department of Animal Physiology, Zoological Institute, University of Tubingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tubingen, Germany

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