Socially transmitted knowledge of hibernation sites in bats

Researchers compiled 30,882 observations of 13,852 individually banded Myotis myotis bats from 1985 to 2023. They found that juvenile bats preferentially used hibernacula previously occupied by adult bats, especially from their own colonies, suggesting social learning of site locations. This behavioral transmission has conservation implications, as the loss of experienced older bats could disrupt the knowledge needed to find safe hibernation sites. The findings are posted as a preprint on bioRxiv and have not yet undergone peer review.