An international team of scientists from Mexico and the United States has discovered that Brazilian folded-lipped bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) living in Mexico have photoluminescent hairs on their legs. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Mammalian Biology (MamBio).
Previous research has shown that the limbs of the folded lips have a unique feature in the form of special hairs running along the outer edges of the fingers, but biologists were not sure what function this detail served.
In the new study, the team found that the hairs on the bats’ feet glow blue-green under ultraviolet light.
Scientists have yet to discover the mechanism of photoluminescence. Experts believe that animals can see this glow at dusk or in moonlight.
The team plans to conduct experiments to find out whether the creatures use their feet to communicate when they gather in colonies of up to a million individuals at night.
The Brazilian folded lip, along with its glowing claws, is considered the fastest flying animal in the world. In horizontal flight, this species of bat reaches speeds of over 100 miles per hour.
Earlier scientists I learnedBats can tolerate levels of sugar in their bodies that would put any mammal into a coma without causing harm.
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Source: Gazeta
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