After two years of research in a cave in northeastern Oklahoma, USA, researcher Jim Stout has discovered a strange species of salamander with a diet that differs significantly from what was previously thought.
Stout found that the blind salamander living in this cave primarily consumes bat guano. Initially, they were believed to survive on insects and shrimp, making this the first report of an amphibian that feeds on bat droppings.
“Since bats do not fully digest their food, their droppings are quite nutritious and certainly contain more calories than tiny shrimp,” Stout explained.
He also mentioned that the initial mission of the team was to study the population and ecosystem of a cave in Delaware County, where approximately 15,000 gray bats reside. “Aside from the bats, the cave has a rather barren habitat, yet the salamander population exceeds what the cave can support.”
Researchers also observed a significant decline in the land salamander population when the migratory bats were no longer present. Bats inhabit the cave from May to December.
