# North American Bats Found to Glow Under UV Light, Mystery of Purpose Remains
A groundbreaking new study reveals that several species of North American bats exhibit photoluminescence, emitting a visible green glow when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. The discovery, originating from the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, marks the first documented instance of this phenomenon in bats inhabiting this region.
Researchers identified the glowing trait in six distinct bat species: big brown bats,eastern red bats,Seminole bats,southeastern myotis,gray bats,and Brazilian free-tailed bats. The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, raises a compelling question: why do these creatures glow?
“It may not seem like this has a whole lot of result, but we’re trying to understand why these animals glow,” explained a senior researcher involved in the project. “It’s cool, but we don’t know why it happens. What is the evolutionary or adaptive function? Does it actually serve a function for the bats?”
The inquiry involved examining 60 specimens housed at the Georgia Museum of Natural History under UV lighting. Researchers observed that the glow emanated primarily from the bats’ wings and hind limbs, consistently registering as a shade of green when measured with specialized tools.This consistent color and location suggest a genetic basis for the trait, rather than an environmental influence.
“It’s ultimately some sort of mutation, and then that mutation somehow gets perpetuated usually because it’s beneficial,” a professor of wildlife ecology and management stated. “Individuals that have that trait tend to survive and reproduce better, so it gets more common in the population. There is evidence that glowing is a common trait.”
Did you know?-Biofluorescence,the ability of living organisms to absorb and re-emit light,is different than bioluminescence,which is light *produced* by an organism. Bats exhibit biofluorescence, not bioluminescence.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time scientists have observed biofluorescence in mammals. Previous research has shown that pocket gophers also glow under UV light. However,the unique social ecology and sensory systems of bats suggest the function of this glow could be more complex.
Researchers ruled out several potential explanations for the phenomenon. The glow doesn’t appear to be related to sex or species recognition,as the color remained consistent across both sexes and among the different species studied. It also doesn’t seem to serve as camouflage or a means of attracting mates.
Rather, the team hypothesizes that the glow might potentially be a form of communication, given that many bat species can perceive the wavelengths of light emitted. “The data suggests that all these species of bats got it from a common ancestor. They didn’t come about this independently,” one researcher noted.
Pro tip:-UV light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but is invisible to the human eye. Specialized tools are needed to detect biofluorescence, as the glow is not visible under normal lighting conditions.
The glow could be a remnant of a past function, an “artifact” of evolution where a trait once crucial for survival has lost its original purpose. Understanding the evolutionary drivers behind such traits is vital for predicting how species will adapt to future environmental changes.
“While it’s still unknown whether photoluminescence may serve an explicit ecological purpose, additional facts on adaptive
Reader question:-Could this glow affect bat behavior in ways we haven’t considered? What other research avenues shoudl scientists explore?
