Thought To Be Exclusive to Humans: Scientists Uncover Remarkable Cognitive Skills of Fruit Bats

Research on Egyptian fruit bats revealed their capability for memory and planning, challenging the notion that these cognitive abilities are uniquely human.

A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University tracked free-ranging Egyptian fruit bats to investigate whether animals possess complex cognitive abilities, previously attributed only to humans. Their study, recently published in Current Biology, focused on episodic memory traits, mental time travel, planning ahead, and delayed gratification, leading to highly compelling findings.

Understanding Episodic Memory in Bats
“For many years the cognitive abilities to recall personal experiences (episodic memory) and plan ahead were considered exclusive to humans. 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,” said Professor Yossi Yovel from the School of Zoology and Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, who co-led the research.

“Attempting to test these abilities in wild animals, we designed a unique experiment relying on the colony of free-ranging fruit bats based in TAU’s I. Meier Segals Garden for Zoological Research.”