Migrating Bats Surf Storm Fronts to Save Energy

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Because of their association with the vampires and because they are nocturnal and due to media such as Scooby-Doo, Bats have become synonymous with dark, stormy nights. Bats can add a layer of mystery to the night, but their appearance in stormy weather could be attributed to an advancement in migratory patterns. In a new article in Science, a study reveals how some bats use storm fronts that are warm to help them migrate across continents.

Bat Migration is difficult to observe due to their high frequency vocalizations and nocturnal behavior. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior devised a solution to their inability to hear or see bats migrate. The research team attached tiny, lightweight sensors on 71 Common noctule Bats ( Nyctalus noctula) to track them as they made spring migrations across Europe. Data from sensors showed something amazing. The data from the sensors revealed that the bats were using the storm fronts to move further while using less energy. In a recent press release, Edward Hurme, a researcher and postdoctoral fellow at MPI-AB, Cluster of Excellence in Collective Behavior at the University of Konstanz said, “The sensor data is amazing!”

We don’t only see where the bats went, but also what the environment was like as they moved. This context gives us an insight into what bats thought and did during their dangerous, expensive journeys,” Hurme said in the press release.

Novel Tracking Technology (19659008)

MPI-AB Engineers developed the novel track technology, which was 5 percent the weight of the bat and had multiple sensors to monitor the temperature and movement of the bat. The new technology dubbed ICARUS – TinyFoxBatt Tag allows researchers to remotely track bats compared to older technology where they would have to be near the tagged animals to collect data.

New tags collect data every day and then compress them into 12-byte files before sending it to researchers via an innovative long-range system. Tags would send 1440 sensor measurements daily. The tags can communicate from anywhere in Europe, much like a mobile phone network, said Timm Wild in a recent press release. He led the development and testing of the ICARUS-TinyFoxBatt Tag in the Animal-borne Sensor Networks Group at MPI-AB.

Surprising Migration patterns

The researchers from MPI-AB chose to track the noctule noctule because it is one of the four bat species which migrates across Europe. They decided to track this bat, as the females are likely to spend the winter in Southern Europe and then return north during the spring. Researchers from MPI-AB attached trackers to female bats every spring and tracked them during their migration for approximately four weeks. Results were unexpected. The bats didn’t follow a fixed path like many migratory bird species. Dina Dechmann, senior author from MPI-AB said in a release that “there is no migration pathway.” We had thought that the bats followed a single path but now we see them moving in all directions in general to the northeast. Researchers also noted a sudden burst in departures. Hurme said that on certain nights they saw an explosive departure of bats. We needed to find out why these bats were so active on certain nights.

Sensors indicated that a fall in pressure, and an increase in temperature meant a storm would be approaching. Hurme said that the bats were using warm tailwinds to ride storm fronts. Read more: Bumblebee bat: the smallest mammal on Earth

Bat Migration Study

The researchers noted that the data collected showed the bats used less energy when they were traveling during the storm fronts. Although there’s still a lot to be learned about bat migration with this technology, it is an excellent start. Understanding bat migration could prevent deaths caused by humans, such as collisions with turbines. In a recent press release, Hurme said that before this study we did not know why bats migrate. More studies will help develop a forecasting system for bat migration. Wind farms can turn their turbines off on the nights that bats flood through. We could be bat stewards. It is only a glimpse at what will be revealed if everyone keeps working on opening that “black box.”

The article sources are:

Discovermagazine.com’s writers use high-quality peer-reviewed articles and other quality sources to write their articles. Our editors also review the accuracy of our scientific standards and editing standards. Check out the following sources for this article.

  • Science. Bats surfing storm fronts in spring migration.

Monica Cull, a graduate from UW-Whitewater and a writer for various organizations including focusing on bees, the natural world and Discover Magazine, was formerly based at UW Whitewater. She also has a travel blog, and Common State Magazine. She developed a love for science from her childhood, when she watched PBS programs with her mother and binge-watched Doctor Who.

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