Bats Use Leaves as Mirrors to Locate and Catch Their Prey
by Michael Waters Smithsonian.com
For much of 2009 and 2010, Inga Geipel huddled over a series of computer monitors in a four- by four-meter chicken-wire cage along the rainforest of Barro Colorado Island. Across the way, Geipel, a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, had rigged an enclosure which she’d designed to mimic the surrounding environment. A bat, some artificial leaves, a suspended dragonfly and a camera were inside this tropical pen.
Late into the night, a bleary-eyed Geipel watched to see if the common big-eared bat could use its echolocation capabilities to catch the dragonfly, even though the insect wasn’t moving or making any noise. Striking the insect would only take two or three seconds, so she was afraid to even blink.
“The funny part is that these bats are fairly small”—they weigh around 6 grams—“and the prey items they sometimes eat are as large as them,” Geipel says. “If they eat one of these prey items, they basically fall asleep. Imagine you eat a steak that’s nearly your size, and then you just fall into this food coma. So most of the time I spent watching the sleeping bat and trying not to fall asleep myself.”
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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