For the very first time, scientists have observed rats catching bats from midair and praying on them in total darkness, sparking concerns about possible risks of virus spread in the world. A study by Northern German scientists has revealed a video that showed a visual dated back in 2020, where a rat was seen skillfully hunting flying bats.
The study was published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, which was described as two most notorious disease-transmitters attached in a food chain, which can be hazardous and can spread virus pathogens easily.
WATCH VIDEO:
Florian Gloza-Rausch, a biologist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin and the lead author of the report, wrote, “To our knowledge, this type of rat behaviour has not previously been documented scientifically."
Approximately one-fifth of all mammal species on Earth are bats, and they serve as hosts for a variety of fatal illnesses, including rabies, Ebola, and coronaviruses. While rats are even more common except in Antarctica, and coexist closely with people.
How was the study executed?
In order to conduct the study, researchers installed night vision cameras at the entrances of two significant urban bat colonies in northern Germany, one in a rocky outcrop in a public park in Lüneburg, and the other inside a cave close to an outdoor theater in the town of Bad Segeberg.
The researchers recorded 30 instances of brown rats pursuing bats as they entered and left the cave at Bad Segeberg, where up to 30,000 bats are believed to spend the winter. Of the hunts, thirteen were successful. They also discovered the carcasses of more than fifty bats about the colony, some of which had not yet been completely consumed.
The researchers emphasized that both species are known to harbor a variety of illnesses, even though the study did not look into disease transmission.
