As social flying mammals, bats typically live in colonies (or cauldrons) of up to 100 individual bats. While many species work together to forage, spectral bats (Vampyrum spectrum were previously believed to be more solitary when finding food. However, that may not be the case. Not only do they appear to forage in groups, they also display affectionate greetings to one another and provide food to feed their families. Their rich social lives are detailed in a study published August 20 in the journal PLOS One.
“Spectral bats exhibit a level of cooperative behavior and biparental care that is rarely documented in bats – a fascinating area for future research,” Marisa Tietge, a study co-author and a biologist at Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science in Germany, said in a statement.
With a wingspan of up to three feet and a taste for rodents, insects, and even other bats, spectral bats are the largest carnivorous bats in the world. They are found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Their nocturnal foraging lifestyle makes it difficult to study these behaviors in the wild.
For this new study, a team installed motion-sensitive infrared cameras inside of a hollow tree in Guanacastle, Costa Rica. A family of four spectral bats were roosting in this particular tree and the team observed them for three months.
Prey sharing behavior is a key social behavior for spectral bats. CREDIT: Tietge et al., 2025, PLOS One.
The bats were far more social than previously suspected. While reviewing the footage, the team categorized eight main types of behaviors: social roosting, greeting behavior, presumably sexual behavior, bringing prey into the roost, eating a prey item, prey provision, food checks, and play behavior.”
Within the roost, the bats would often groom each other and make social vocalizations. The footage also showed that they engage in a social greeting similar to a hug. One bat will greet another by wrapping its wings around the returning bat’s body.
“We were astonished by how gentle and cooperative these apex predators are,” said Tietge. “The most endearing behavior was forming a tight cuddle-ball when falling asleep: each bat wrapping one wing around its nearest neighbor, all snouts touching.”
Additionally, the adult bats returning to the roost with prey in tow voluntarily transferred the food to a younger bat living in the colony. According to the team, this behavior may be a way for the adult bats to gradually wean offspring from a milk diet to a carnivorous one. It also may help young bats develop their prey-handling skills before they leave the roost, so that they can survive on their own.
The bats were also spotted leaving or returning to the roost together, further disproving the notion that they are solitary foragers. The bats sometimes go on cooperative foraging trips, potentially as a way for the younger bats to develop their hunting skills.
Additionally, prey transfer from the adult male in the roost to the lactating female was also observed. Both parents may help care for the young, which is a relatively rare strategy among mammals. The presence of two young bats within the colony (likely the breeding pair’s pups that were born in different years) indicates that spectral bats remain in the roost for extended periods of time.
[ Related: Young bats develop a ‘caller ID’ to avoid poisonous prey. ]
These observations all show that the social structure of large bat species is more complex than previously thought. Creating and maintaining these strong social bonds is likely crucial to their survival, according to the authors. The observations also reveal how intelligent they are
“I was astonished to find that the bats seemed to recognize me after several consecutive weeks of visiting the roost,” said Tietge. “At first, I was greeted with threat-like calls, and the bats broke their roosting formation to hide in the corners. But over time, their response shifted to just a few curious looks—no vocalizations, and they remained in a relaxed roosting formation. Even after nine months away, they appeared to recognize me immediately when I returned the following season.”
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