Bat female "prostitute" in exchange for food | Chronic

The Egyptian bat, prolongs its weeks "court" with the males, and in return for the food she brings them, she is more willing to mate.

These flying mammals of the species Rousettus aegyptiacus reach 15 centimeters and with a wing extension of 62 centimeters and an average weight of 160 grams, they present a dark brown fur with lighter areas in the neck.

This species of chiroptera lives mainly in parts of Africa, but can be found in India, Pakistan and Spain.

According to a group of researchers from the University of Tel Aviv, who studied the behavior of three colonies of captive bats, and in particular females, who constantly take food directly into the mouths of their male partners.

"We found a relationship in the interactions between the fortified foods and the reproduction"Yovel said.

"That is, females gave birth to more young males, to which they took more food from the mouth, more often", he added.

This behavior may have different reasons, for example, sharing food with other family members or the high cost of defending food resources.

These animals reach the age of reproduction at the age of nine months and gestation lasts about 115 days.