Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

34.6K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
34.6K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

13.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
13.6K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

17.7K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
17.7K
Pollination and Flower Structure02:40

Pollination and Flower Structure

81.5K
Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.  
81.5K
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

23.5K
Overview
23.5K
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

38.7K
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
38.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Interacting effects of sex and age on immune responses in a polygynous bat with male-biased mortality.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

DNA Methylation Dynamics Reflect Sex and Status Differences in Mortality Rates in a Polygynous Bat.

Molecular ecology·2025
Same author

Resistance to age-related hearing loss in the echolocating big brown bat (<i>Eptesicus fuscus</i>).

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Resistance to age-related hearing loss in the echolocating big brown bat ( <i>Eptesicus fuscus</i> ).

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Comparative analysis of animal lifespan.

GeroScience·2023
Same journal

Galápagos yellow warblers differ in behavioural plasticity in response to traffic noise depending on proximity to road.

Animal behaviour·2026
Same journal

Solo songs, duets and territory defence across seasons in female Galápagos yellow warblers, <i>Setophaga petechia aureola</i>.

Animal behaviour·2026
Same journal

Bayesian updating for self-assessment explains social dominance and winner-loser effects.

Animal behaviour·2026
Same journal

Is there evidence for the Bruce effect in white-faced capuchins?

Animal behaviour·2026
Same journal

Temperament and cognitive flexibility across lemur species.

Animal behaviour·2026
Same journal

Map and compass navigation: the mechanism and ontogeny of animal maps.

Animal behaviour·2025
See all related articles
  1. Home
  3. Do Greater Spear-nosed Bats Have Societies?
  1. Home
  3. Do Greater Spear-nosed Bats Have Societies?

Related Experiment Video

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture
15:31

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

13.1K

Do greater spear-nosed bats have societies?

Gerald S Wilkinson1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, U.S.A.

Animal Behaviour
|April 9, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Greater spear-nosed bats exhibit complex societies with cooperative females defending young and a single male monopolizing mating. These bat societies demonstrate features seen in other animals, highlighting the need for further research into bat social systems.

Keywords:
Phyllostomus hastatusgreater spear-nosed batgroup recognitionsocial organization

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Supraclavicular Brown Adipose Tissue Extraction for Genetic Analysis
06:50

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Supraclavicular Brown Adipose Tissue Extraction for Genetic Analysis

Published on: March 29, 2024

3.5K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Bradysia coprophila's Unique Biology &#8211; A Guide to Laboratory Maintenance
04:26

Author Spotlight: Exploring Bradysia coprophila's Unique Biology – A Guide to Laboratory Maintenance

Published on: April 19, 2024

2.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture
15:31

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

13.1K
Author Spotlight: Optimizing Supraclavicular Brown Adipose Tissue Extraction for Genetic Analysis
06:50

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Supraclavicular Brown Adipose Tissue Extraction for Genetic Analysis

Published on: March 29, 2024

3.5K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Bradysia coprophila's Unique Biology &#8211; A Guide to Laboratory Maintenance
04:26

Author Spotlight: Exploring Bradysia coprophila's Unique Biology – A Guide to Laboratory Maintenance

Published on: April 19, 2024

2.0K

Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Mammalogy
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Societal structures are well-documented in many animal species but seldom applied to bats.
  • The social systems of bats, particularly their spatial and temporal dynamics, remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the societal features of greater spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus hastatus).
  • To compare bat social systems with those of other animal species.
  • To identify potential shared societal characteristics across diverse animal taxa.

Main Methods:

  • Observational analysis of spatial and temporal relationships within bat roosting groups.
  • Characterization of social organization, including roosting behavior, cooperation, and mating systems.
  • Vocalization analysis for communication and coordination in foraging.

Main Results:

  • Greater spear-nosed bats form stable roosting groups of unrelated females that cooperate in raising young over multiple generations.
  • A single male defends a roosting group and monopolizes mating opportunities for extended periods.
  • Females learn group-specific calls for coordinating foraging activities and share both roosting and foraging areas.

Conclusions:

  • The social system of greater spear-nosed bats displays complex societal features analogous to other animals.
  • Natal dispersal in both sexes is unusual but does not preclude the development of long-term social bonds.
  • Further investigation into other bat species is warranted to understand the prevalence of these societal features in Chiroptera.