Bats | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/Bats/RSS feed for BatsenMon, 09 Feb 2026 15:18:01 +0000These Lazy Bats Are Super-Efficient Killers That Carefully Conserve Energy to Attack at a Moment's Noticehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-lazy-bats-are-super-efficient-killers-that-carefully-conserve-energy-to-attack-at-a-moments-notice-180988152/Wild fringe-lipped bats spend just one-tenth of the night in flight, but they can precisely snatch a calling frog and nab prey that rivals their own sizeMon, 09 Feb 2026 15:18:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-lazy-bats-are-super-efficient-killers-that-carefully-conserve-energy-to-attack-at-a-moments-notice-180988152/When Vampire Bats Become Close Friends, They Start ‘Talking’ Like Each Otherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/when-vampire-bats-become-close-friends-they-start-talking-like-each-other-180988114/New research shows that just like humans, vampire bats with deep social relationships use similar sounds as one another to communicateFri, 30 Jan 2026 19:31:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/when-vampire-bats-become-close-friends-they-start-talking-like-each-other-180988114/A Robot Is Unraveling the Secrets of How Some Bats Bounce Sound Waves Off Leaves to Find Insect Preyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-robot-is-unraveling-the-secrets-of-how-some-bats-bounce-sound-waves-off-leaves-to-find-insect-prey-180988031/A new study from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute used a robot to mimic common big-eared bats' echolocation skillsWed, 21 Jan 2026 15:33:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-robot-is-unraveling-the-secrets-of-how-some-bats-bounce-sound-waves-off-leaves-to-find-insect-prey-180988031/Beavers are Dam Good for Biodiversity, Bringing Bats, Butterflies and Other Critters to Their Neighborhoodshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beavers-are-dam-good-for-biodiversity-bringing-bats-butterflies-and-other-critters-to-their-neighborhoods-180987717/Two new studies suggest that the semi-aquatic rodents provide food and habitat for bats and pollinator insects within their engineered ecosystemsThu, 20 Nov 2025 23:09:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beavers-are-dam-good-for-biodiversity-bringing-bats-butterflies-and-other-critters-to-their-neighborhoods-180987717/Rats Are Snatching Bats Out of the Air and Eating Them—and Researchers Got It on Videohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rats-are-snatching-bats-out-of-the-air-and-eating-them-and-researchers-got-it-on-video-180987610/Rodents in northern Germany were spotted using two different hunting strategies at major urban bat hibernation sitesFri, 31 Oct 2025 20:24:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rats-are-snatching-bats-out-of-the-air-and-eating-them-and-researchers-got-it-on-video-180987610/These Bats Glow Green Under UV Light, Joining a Growing List of Photoluminescent Mammalshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-bats-glow-green-under-uv-light-joining-a-growing-list-of-photoluminescent-mammals-180987602/A recent study identifies a consistent glow across six species of North American bats, but the underlying reason for the animals’ green gleam is still unclearFri, 31 Oct 2025 17:00:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-bats-glow-green-under-uv-light-joining-a-growing-list-of-photoluminescent-mammals-180987602/Birds, Bats and Bugs: The Teeming World Above Our Headshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/birds-bats-and-bugs-the-teeming-world-above-our-heads-180987559/Researchers are finally able to catch a glimpse of the life filling the skies, and they want to protect itThu, 23 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/birds-bats-and-bugs-the-teeming-world-above-our-heads-180987559/This Chilling Recording Reveals Large Bats Catching, Killing and Eating Birds Midflighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-chilling-audio-reveals-that-these-large-bats-catch-kill-and-eat-birds-mid-flight-180987497/The data answers an enduring question about the greater noctule batWed, 15 Oct 2025 16:55:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-chilling-audio-reveals-that-these-large-bats-catch-kill-and-eat-birds-mid-flight-180987497/Five Dramatic Ways Animals Respond to Human Noise, From Mimicking Car Alarms While Wooing Mates to Calling Higher Over the Din of Traffichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-dramatic-ways-animals-respond-to-human-noise-from-mimicking-car-alarms-while-wooing-mates-to-calling-higher-over-the-din-of-traffic-180987190/As human-caused sound gets louder around the world, some animals change their behavior and many creatures suffer health issuesMon, 08 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-dramatic-ways-animals-respond-to-human-noise-from-mimicking-car-alarms-while-wooing-mates-to-calling-higher-over-the-din-of-traffic-180987190/These Big, Meat-Eating Bats Also Have a Cuddly Side. Rare Videos Reveal 'Hugging,' Playing and Sharing Foodhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-big-meat-eating-bats-also-have-a-cuddly-side-rare-videos-reveal-hugging-playing-and-sharing-food-180987218/Scientists observed a family of four spectral bats in their roost in a tree in Costa Rica, capturing an inside look at their social behaviorThu, 21 Aug 2025 18:49:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-big-meat-eating-bats-also-have-a-cuddly-side-rare-videos-reveal-hugging-playing-and-sharing-food-180987218/