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Published online 15 April 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.756

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Drunk bats eat junk food

Alcohol content in ripe fruit can affect feeding behaviour.

Matt Kaplan

Humans don't have the monopoly on drunken behaviour. New research shows that under-the-influence bats are more likely than their sober counterparts to eat junk food.

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  • How did the bats "know" they were safe in their cages? Has a proper study been conducted to determine the fruit bats' feelings of security while in cages, versus their feelings when about the wilds of Egypt? Also, what types of fruit would the bats normally eat in the wild?

    • 15 Apr, 2008
    • Posted by: Whitney Greene

  • Adding to Brck Feenton's remark. Certainly, the larger the bat the greater the absolute quantity of ethanol it could handle. However, I would predict that the smaller the bat the higher its instantaneous ethanol intake could be on the assumption the catabolism of ethanol and aldehyde is related to body mass^0.75, like most other metabolic processes. Thus, the smaller the bat, the "riper" the fruit it could eat w/o losing its flying license.

    • 16 Apr, 2008
    • Posted by: Berry Pinshow