Well folks, it looks like this is it for the Christmas Island pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus murrayi). This critically endangered species of microbat now appears to be doomed to impending extinction as last-gasp efforts to capture the few remaining bats and place them in a captive breeding program have failed. Eight scientists, along with volunteers from [...]

With a wingspan of more than 1.5 meters, the large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is the world’s largest bat. But that size hasn’t helped it. In fact, the giant fruit bat has become a target for hunting, and so many of them are being killed every year that the species now faces possible extinction, according [...]

Whisking quietly through the night, around buildings, trees and even branches, bats have a keen sense of their surroundings despite darkness. Researchers have known for decades that bats use their sonarlike echolocation to "see" potential obstacles as well as prey. But bats’ execution of their airborne acrobatics often got scientists wondering just how they could [...]

Regular readers of this blog know that while I think studying animal cognition, behavior, and communication is (sometimes) fun and (always) interesting, the real importance – the why should I care about this – is because by understanding animals, we can attempt to learn more about ourselves. I’ve written about this before. Here are the [...]

Isolation can be a blessing. I am most productive when I’m not connected to the web. If I’m writing in a train or plane, severed from the thoughts of others, it is easier to capture my own trails of thought and let them expand. Don’t get me wrong, my inner writer loves the internet. It’s [...]