When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted: Foraging Bat Attacked by Pit Viper at Frog Chorus

摘要

The relationship between the fringe-lipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus) and the túngara frog (Engystomops pustulosus) has become a model for the study of pred- ator–prey interactions. It has been hypothesized that T. cirrhosus faces risks as a bat whose foraging behavior brings it in regular contact with the ground. Our observation of a fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) eating a bat (likely T. cirrhosus) at a túngara frog chorus suggests support of this hypothesis. We examine this inter- action through the lens of the Landscape of Fear model, and postulate that bats must simultaneously navigate landscapes of fear and opportunity as they forage.