Brown rats documented hunting bats mid-flight in German caves for the first time

Summary

Researchers in northern Germany have documented brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) actively hunting and catching bats mid-flight — the first known evidence of rodents preying on flying mammals. The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, used camera traps to capture rats leaping from cave ledges to intercept bats at urban hibernation sites. The findings have implications for bat conservation and potential disease transmission, as rats may act as reservoirs for pathogens that could spread to bat populations.