Scientists have done an important research on how unknown animals relate to each other on a topic that has not been known so far. Observations made on vampire bats showed that this species possesses cooperative relationship types.
When it comes to our roommates or colleagues, we have scientific knowledge about how we improve our relationships. However, until a recent study, we did not have enough information on how relationships between aliens developed.
Researchers from Ohio State University observed the behavior of vampire bats, which were being held under surveillance with strangers. Observations support “raising-the-stakes” from collaboration relationship development models. In this model, the relationship of trust is formed by the gradual acceleration of small mutual investments between foreigners and the animal, which take care of each other’s happiness.
Food sharing between bats
In the research, vampire bats in two different geographically separated roosts were kept together for 15 months. Scientists thought that when foreign bats began to share food with each other, they would develop cooperation. As a result of the observations, it began with an increase in the grooming behavior of any relationship that reached this stage, which is a lower cost behavior.
After thousands of opportunities created for animals to interact with each other throughout the study, it was found that nearly 15 percent of female vampire bats, who did not know each other before, developed a possible food-sharing relationship. This rate may seem low, but it is important in terms of showing that foreign adult female bats develop intercourse. In addition, it is seen that bats establish their relations depending on the condition.
Gerald Carter, the leader of the team doing the research, argues that although people do not like to think “strategically” about their relationship with others, the relationships between bats may show that the relationships between people are more conditional than we would like to accept.
In the researches, it was observed that some vampire bats gave their roosters who could not access the food by vomiting their food (blood) and trying to help them. Although common, there was a wait. In other words, if a bat knew he would get the same money from another bat, food sharing was getting more frequent. It was observed that grooming precedes food sharing and the frequency of grooming increased before going through the food sharing phase.
