It is certainly not the most pleasant job in the world, but stool analysis can provide valuable information on the habits of a species, its diet and the space it occupies . In the case of fringed-lipped bats – Trachops cirrhosus – this strategy has revealed that these tiny bats that live in the American rainforests are formidable predators, capable of sinking their teeth into almost anything.
With eyes closed
Thus, from the study of the genetic material found in their excrement , a team of scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, in Panama, has found that, in addition to the frogs that they usually feed on, they hunt insects, reptiles, birds and other bats.
Until now, it was thought that the T. cirrhosus were guided by the calls emitted by their prey, but in an essay published in Behavioral Ecology these experts point out that they also use their echolocation effectively , even in an environment where vegetation can mask the position of the target.
It is not possible to know the Spanish society of the 19th century without stopping in the work of Concepción Arenal (1820-1893), a staunch defender of the underprivileged and a precursor of social work and feminism in a Spain where inequality was the norm.
Now, an exhibition organized by Acción Cultural Española (www.accioncultural.es) and the National Library of Spain will allow an in-depth analysis of the life, concerns and contributions of this journalist, thinker and writer who, in general, has gone quite unnoticed in our country. The exhibition takes place through different biographical and thematic spaces, has manuscripts and objects related to his figure and is surrounded by a collection of interesting images of the time.
