title: Megachiropteran bats (Pteropus) utilize human referential stimuli to locate hidden food.
abstract: Spontaneous point-following behavior has been considered an indicator of advanced social cognition unique to humans. Recently, it has been suggested that a close evolutionary relationship with humans could result in similar social skills in domesticated species. An alternative view is that the mechanism is not genetic domestication alone but instead a combination of phylogenetic and ontogenetic variables. Here we test the necessity of phylogenetic domestication by investigating the point-following behavior of a captive population of nondomesticated megachiropteran bats (Pteropus pumilus, Pteropus rodricensis, Pteropus conspicillatus, Pteropus vampyrus). Three of five subjects were highly successful in following an unfamiliar human's point to a target location, providing the first empirical evidence of cross-species social referencing in bats. The three successful bats were all born in captivity and socialized to humans early in life, whereas unsuccessful bats were wild-born individuals. This study provides evidence that referential point following is not restricted to domesticated animals and indicates that early experience may be important. Megachiropteran bats may prove to be a useful model for studying social behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Monique A R
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Udell
authors.forename: Nicole R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Dorey
authors.forename: Allyson L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Clive D L
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wynne
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000523:psychology*; D032882:Comprehension; D003210:Concept Formation; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans