Mother bats' hearts beat faster when they hear their own pups' cries

Summary

Researchers report that mother Japanese house bats' hearts beat faster when they hear their own pups. Mothers in a colony of hundreds or thousands of bats must find and nurse only their own offspring, which is important for the pups' survival. The reports say the mothers track their pups by the babies' isolation calls, and can pick out their pups' distress cries among thousands of bats.

Timeline

1. Popular Science

   23 Oct 2026, 04:00 UTCSource ↗

   Popular Science reports that bat mothers' hearts beat faster when they hear their pups, and that the mothers can pick out their offspring's distress cries amongst thousands of bats.

2. Phys.org

   23 Oct 2026, 04:00 UTCSource ↗

   Phys.org reports that mother bats' hearts beat faster at the sound of their own babies' cries, and that among Japanese house bats, mothers keep track of their pups using the babies' isolation calls.