Episodic memory and mental time travel have been viewed as uniquely human traits. This view began to shift with the development of behavioral criteria to assess what is referred to as episodic-like memory in animals. Key findings have ranged from evidence of what-where-when memory in scrub-jays, rats, and bees. In a new study, scientists examined episodic-like memory and future-oriented behavior in wild free-foraging Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). They found that the fruit bats rely on mental temporal maps and exhibit future-oriented behaviors when foraging. They also found that the time-mapping ability requires experience and is lacking in inexperienced bats.
“For many years the cognitive abilities to recall personal experiences (episodic memory) and plan ahead were considered exclusive to humans,” said Professor Yossi Yovel from Tel Aviv University.
“But more and more studies have suggested that various animals also possess such capabilities, but nearly all of these studies were conducted under laboratory conditions, since field studies on these issues are difficult to perform.”
“Attempting to test these abilities in wild animals, we designed a unique experiment relying on the colony of free-ranging fruit bats.”
The researchers assumed that bats depending on fruit trees for their survival would need to develop an ability to track the availability of food both spatially (where are the fruit trees?) and over time (when does each tree give fruit?).
Navigating through landscapes with numerous fruit and nectar trees, they would need to mentally track the resources in order to revisit them at the appropriate time.
To test this hypothesis, a tiny high-resolution GPS tracker was attached to each bat, enabling the documentation of flight routes and trees visited for many months.
The vast data collected in this way were thoroughly analyzed, producing some amazing results.
“The first research question was: Do bats form a time map in their…
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