Bats ‘leapfrog’ back to roost to stay safe from predators, study finds

Researchers able to model movements of greater horseshoe bats in Devon to help conserve foraging grounds

Bats fly back to their roosts after a night of hunting in a “leapfrogging” pattern that allows them to maximise their time out and stay safe from predators, researchers have found.

A team from Cardiff University and the University of Sussex developed a mathematical model using “trajectory data” that tracked the flight of greater horseshoe bats in Devon to pinpoint how the creatures engage with the nocturnal environment.