News Life

Rats are snatching bats out of the air and eating them

Infrared cameras recorded the never-before-seen hunting tactic

A grainy nighttime shot from an infrared camera shows a rat perched on a ledge grabbing a slightly smaller bat as it flies by

A brown rat reaches out to snatch a bat mid-flight in this infrared image. The rat will then kill the bat with a bite and drag the carcass away.

Florian Gloza-Rausch / Knörnschild Lab – Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

By Gennaro Tomma

Bats beware. The ability to fly won’t save you from hungry, determined rats.