One of the Christian journals I follow produces good science content. Since we recently considered cave ecosystems, I thought I would share this short article about one species of bats.
BAG OF CHIPS EFFECT. Have you noticed that when a person opens a bag of chips and starts munching, it draws other people’s attention? You may find that those who were paying no attention to you suddenly come to your side to “converse,” when actually they are hoping you will share some chips with them. Animals may not be much different in that respect. I’m thinking of greater mouse-tailed bats (Rhinopoma microphyllum).
Greater mouse-tailed bats are native to northern Africa and areas of Asia. They live in subtropical and dry shrubland areas. Although they don’t eat potato or corn chips, they exhibit the “bag of chips effect.” They prefer to eat flying ants, and like other bats, they find their prey by echolocation. When they have spotted a meal, they send out a sound known as a “feeding buzz.” For other bats, it’s like the sound of a person munching on potato chips. They want to join the “conversation.”
These bats can echolocate flying ants 10 meters away. However, they can hear a feeding buzz from another bat 100 meters away. It’s as if the other bat has ripped open a bag of chips and started munching. Suddenly the bat has friends showing up from every direction...
Source: Does God Exist?
