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A research team from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has, for the first time, systematically documented the social behavior of the spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum) in the wild. Working in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, they observed adult bats bringing captured birds and rodents to other group members—an exceptionally rare behavior in bats.
With a wingspan nearing one meter, the spectral bat is the largest bat species in the Americas. It lives in socially monogamous family groups made up of a parental pair and up to two offspring. Using camera traps placed inside a hollow tree roost, the team recorded footage over several months. For the first time, they captured an adult delivering a prey item to another group member—usually a juvenile.
“Our findings suggest that prey transfer plays a key role in weaning young bats off milk and onto a carnivorous diet,” says lead author Marisa Tietge. “It gives the pups a chance to practice handling and dismembering large prey.” The researchers also suspect that lactating females—who often remain in the roost overnight with newborns—may also be provisioned by their partners when they’re unable to forage themselves. Such forms of parental, and possibly even paternal, care are extremely rare in mammals.
In addition to prey delivery, the team documented greeting behaviors, social grooming, play, and even coordinated foraging trips—pointing to a much more complex social life than previously assumed. Until now, V. spectrum was thought to be a solitary hunter. But this new study shows the species living in close-knit groups, with young bats likely learning essential skills such as hunting through prolonged parental support. Offspring remain in the family group for an unusually long time—up to two and a half years. This extended dependency provides a safe environment for learning, creating a gradual and supported path to independence.
These findings are not only fascinating but also critical for conservation. The spectral bat is classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN and is already considered endangered in Costa Rica. Its natural habitats, including tropical dry forests, are disappearing rapidly. A deeper understanding of its social behavior may help guide conservation strategies to better protect this elusive species.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the conservation organization Manzú in Costa Rica and supported by the nature reserve station “Estación Experimental Forestal Horizontes” in Costa Rica.
Publication: Tietge M, Artavia Durán E, Knörnschild M . (2025). Cooperative Behaviors and Social Interactions in the Carnivorous Bat Vampyrum spectrum.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0321338
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321338
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