B
atshavecomplexsociallives
thatwearestilluncovering.
Swarmingis a formofbreeding
behaviour,whichinBritainand
othertemperateregionsusually
occursinlatesummer.Asmaternity
roostsdisperse,batscongregateatcaves,
tunnelsandothersitesthatwilllater
beusedforhibernation.These
gatheringsarenoisyaffairs
(thoughyouwouldn’tknow
it unlessyouhavea bat
detector)andbringtogetherbatsfrommanycoloniesforbreeding,
makingthemimportantforgeneflow
withinpopulations.Otherbatsgatherat
matingarenascalledleks,wheremultiple
malesdisplaywithwingflapsandcalls
toadvertisethemselves.If theycatch
a female’sattention,theymaytryand
endearthemselvesbygroomingher,as
a preludetowrappingwingsaroundher
andmating.Butinsomebatspecies,each
malemaintainshisownterritory.He’ll
patrolit withfrequentsongflightstolure
passingfemales.LaurieJacksonWhydobatsswarm?
CHIROPTEROLOGYMARINEBIOLOGYG
raceful,effortless,awe-inspiring...
thesearethewordsthatspringtomind
whendescribingtheworld’stwospecies
ofmantaray.Butpink?Everyonefrom
Octonautsviewersupwardsknowsthat
mostmantasarebasicallyblackontopand
whiteunderneath.Thiscoloration,called
counter-shading,is underwatercamouflage
commontomanyraysandsharks.It hides
themagainstthebrightskywhenseenfrom
below,oragainstthedarkdepthswhenseenfromabove.Notalways,however.On
Australia’seastcoast,therelivesa male
reefmantaraywhois thoughttoowehis
eye-catchingblushtoerythrism,a genetic
mutation.FirstnoticedontheGreat
BarrierReefin2015,thebizarre
pinkmantahasbeenrecorded
ononlya handfulofoccasions.
Erythrismis usuallyseenin
birds,mammalsandinsects
suchasgrasshoppers.BenHoareWhyisthismantaraypink?
Socialgroomingand
close-contactsitting
canforma partofthe
reconciliatorybehaviour
betweenmacaques.Nowisthetimeofyear
thatbatswillcome
together,seekingout
a matingpartner.The striking ray is
named after Inspector
Clouseau of the Pink
Panther movies.Macaques: Gonzalo Azumendi/Getty; bats: Philippos Katsiyiannis; manta: Kristian Laine
Q&A
September 2020