Bats Have Implemented Social Distancing Before We Did It

Illustration (Unsplash / Geoff Brooks)

JAKARTA - The concept of maintaining distance in an effort to avoid COVID-19 may be a new habit for us. But the researchers revealed the new fact that some animals have applied social distancing methods or maintaining social distancing with other animals when they are sick. One of them is a bat.

A study published by the Oxford University Press Behavioral Ecology 2020 this week revealed that wild vampire bats naturally distance themselves from other bats when they are sick.

This research corroborates previous findings showing that animals tend to stay away from other people when they are sick. But they want to prove further whether they also apply this behavior in the wild or not.

"In certain social insects, sick people may self-isolate voluntarily or be ostracized by the colony," said one researcher quoted by CNN. "The social distancing caused by this disease does not require the cooperation of others and may be common across species."

The researchers, led by Simon P Ripperger of The Ohio State University, examined 31 wild adult vampire bats from hollow trees in Belize. Then they injected half of them with an immune-suppressing substance simulating disease. While the other half received a placebo.

Researchers then attached the sensor to the sick bat. The goal is to track their movements before being released back into the tree for observation.

Research result

In the six hour period, the sick bats spent less time socializing with the healthy bats. Sick bats had an average of four fewer interactions than healthy bats and spent 25 minutes less socializing.

In addition, healthy bats showed a 49 percent chance of being related to other bats. Meanwhile, sick bats only spend 35 percent of their time with other bats.

"The sensors provide us with amazing new knowledge of how bats' social behavior changes from hour to hour. Even as they hide in the darkness of hollow trees," said the research team's lead author, Simon Ripperger.

The findings reinforce calls for social distancing conveyed by health experts so as not to spread or be exposed to infectious viruses such as COVID-19.