Overview

• Peer-reviewed findings published August 20 in PLOS One detail cooperative behaviors in Vampyrum spectrum previously thought to forage alone.
• A motion-activated infrared camera inside a hollow Manilkara tree recorded 502 one-minute clips across 60 days, with 73 showing social interactions.
• Footage captured wing-wrap greetings, tight “cuddle-ball” roosting, grooming and soft vocalizations, including 16 clips of close social roosting.
• About 12 clips showed voluntary prey transfers to younger bats, and researchers noted departures and returns together, suggesting occasional cooperative foraging and biparental care.
• Authors stress the data come from a single family group and caution against inferring emotions, with comparative follow-up studies on diet and vocalizations planned.