When the Greater Mouse-eared Bat (Myotis myotis) is caught by an owl, it mimics the buzzing sound of a wasp to deceive its predator.
The buzzing sound of the bat can lead the owl to believe it is an insect capable of stinging, giving the bat enough time to escape. The research team noted that this is the first recorded instance of Batesian mimicry in mammals. In this type of mimicry, a non-toxic species disguises itself as a toxic one to avoid being hunted by its predators. Researcher Danilo Russo from the University of Naples Federico II in Portici, Italy, and his colleagues reported their findings on May 9 in the journal Current Biology.
The Greater Mouse-eared Bat mimics the sound of wasps to deceive hunting owls. (Photo: Marco Scalisi)
Russo observed the behavior of the Greater Mouse-eared Bat while conducting field research. “When we removed the bats from the nets or handled them, they continuously buzzed like wasps,” Russo shared.
The research team believes that the buzzing sound is a form of unusual stress call. They theorized that there might be another reason for the bat emitting this sound. It could be warning its peers or deterring predators. Russo’s team set this issue aside and continued with other research topics. Years later, they decided to design a careful experiment to test the hypothesis regarding the buzzing sound of the Greater Mouse-eared Bat.
In the study, Russo and his colleagues first examined the sound similarities between the bat’s calls and those of stinging insects. Next, they played the sounds for captive owls to observe their reactions.
Different owl species reacted quite diversely, depending on their previous experiences. However, all of them responded to the buzzing of the bat and insects by moving away from the sound source. In contrast, the sounds of potential prey attracted them to come closer. The research team believes this finding provides the first example of mimicry behavior between mammals and insects.
The team’s analysis of the sounds revealed that the buzzing of the bat and insects is even more similar when heard from the owl’s perspective. They speculated that wasps certainly sting owls, but they do not have data to prove this. Other evidence suggests that birds often avoid stinging insects. For instance, when wasps move into a nest or tree cavity, birds will not nest there.
