Humans have long struggled to understand the nocturnal world. As environmental change becomes increasingly acute, understanding their lives has never been more critical.
Amy Wilson, University of British Columbia and Scott Wilson, University of British Columbia
Allowing cats to roam unsupervised is detrimental to humans, wildlife and the cats themselves. Managing free-roaming cats should consider the risks they pose to other species.
Already critically endangered, the southern bent-wing bat is still declining in a drying climate. If we don’t step in, it will likely be extinct within three generations of bat.
Cave-specific conservation and protection actions are essential to protect cave habitats for the continued survival of bats, and ultimately, the well-being of humans.
Disturbing the habitats of horseshoe bats, like these in Borneo, increases the risk of virus spillover.
Mike Prince/Flickr
How can nations prevent more pandemics like COVID-19? One priority is reducing the risk of diseases’ jumping from animals to humans. And that means understanding how human actions fuel that risk.
Crowds gather at dusk in Austin, Texas, to watch some 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge to feed from their roost under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Jeff Haynes/AFP via Getty Images
Bats roost under bridges and culverts across North America, so highway departments have to check for them before repairing bridges. A new AI tool makes those inspections faster and more accurate.
‘Shape shifting’ animals are evolving to deal with heat – by changing the size of their ears, tails, bills and other appendages.
GPS devices on 20 bats in a Ugandan cave in 2018 as part of a research project to determine flight patterns and how they transmit Marburg virus to humans.
Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images
There are 191 different species of bat across the Pacific Island. They are vital parts of the region’s biodiversity, and many species have cultural significance.
A babbling pup produces distinct syllables, visualized in this composite image.
Michael Stifter and Ahana Fernandez
Vocal imitation is a key part of how humans learn to speak. New research shows that bats babble to learn and use baby talk to teach, just like people do.
A big brown bat and a little brown bat hibernating in an abandoned mine in Ontario.
(Karen Vanderwolf)
White-nose syndrome has wiped out millions of bats in North America, pushing researchers to look at alternative roosts like bat boxes. But the U.S. bat box designs may not suit Canadian bats.
Researchers crack the conundrum about why African Baobab trees in southern Africa differ in terms of fruit production.
Sarah Venter
Baobab flowers have male and female parts but individual trees appear to be favouring one rather than the other. To keep tree populations healthy and fruitful, both types are needed.
Maître de Conférences (HDR) à Sorbonne Université, ISYEB - Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (CNRS, MNHN, SU, EPHE, UA), Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN)