Researchers found a new method to count, detect and identify bats like this lesser short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) passing through an oil palm plantation - near-infrared photograph Photo: Ellena Yusti
Researchers found a new method to count, detect and identify bats like this lesser short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) passing through an oil palm plantation - near-infrared photograph Photo: Ellena Yusti International research team led by Göttingen University develops novel sampling method for bats How can we understand the activity of wild bats? Mostly soundless, flying in the dark, bats feed at night and evade our senses. Many bats can use echolocation to hunt and can avoid the traditional nets used to capture them; those that do not "echolocate" cannot be detected by ultrasound bat detectors. Now, an international research team led by the University of Göttingen has developed a new method ("bat point counts") by combining modern sensing technologies - thermal, ultrasonic and near-infrared - to detect, identify and count all bats flying around in a certain range. This new non-invasive method allows scientists to better understand bat behaviour and populations, which should lead to better informed conservation science. The results were published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Traditional methods to sample bats include catching them in nets or recording their ultrasound calls. However, bats that use echolocation can detect and avoid nets even in the dark and some bats do not emit sounds, meaning these methods are prone to errors.
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