Vampire bats adopt social distancing when they are sick

Vampire bats keep away from their fellows when they are sick by applying social distancing in the animal world

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

They keep away from their fellows when they are ill by applying an effective form of social distancing in the animal world. A study conducted in nature has shown that these animals change their relationships within the colony keeping at a distance who can be "infected". A natural mechanism that amazed the researchers.

The research was conducted by scientists at Ohio State University and shows that when bats get sick, they voluntarily distance themselves from their mates. To do so in particular are the vampire bats of Azara (Desmodus rotundus), belonging to the Phyllostomidae family, and very common in the United States.

For this work, the researchers looked at 31 bats, all found inside a hollow tree in Lamanai, Belize. About half were healthy, the rest had disease.

By observing the behavior of these animals, the researchers recorded data on their movements by monitoring them through a mini computer placed on the back of the animals, which recorded their social encounters. It emerged that those who were sick interacted with fewer of their peers, spent less time close to each other and were overall less interactive. But not only. Even healthy bats were less close to their sick companions.

“Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we feel good, doesn't seem particularly normal. But when we are sick, it is normal to retire a little and stay in bed longer because we are exhausted. And that means we're likely to have fewer social encounters, ”said Simon Ripperger, study co-author and postdoctoral researcher in evolution, ecology and biology of organisms at Ohio State University. “It's the same thing we were observing in this study: In the wild, vampire bats - which are highly social animals - keep their distance when they are sick or living with sick group mates. And they can be expected to reduce the spread of the disease as a result ”.

The study was published today in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

“The effects we have shown here are probably common to many other animals. But it is important to remember that changes in behavior also depend on the pathogen ”, however, explain the authors of the study.

In any case, with no law to enforce it, such creatures probably understand when they can put their fellowmen at risk and try to protect them. Nature always has something to teach us.

Sources of reference: Ohio State University, Behavioral Ecology