Data from: Socially foraging bats discriminate between group members based on search-phase echolocation calls

Animals have evolved diverse strategies to use social information for
increasing foraging success and efficiency. Echolocating bats, for
example, can eavesdrop on bats foraging nearby, because they shift from
search-phase calls to feeding buzzes when they detect prey. Feeding buzzes
can directly convey information about prey presence, but it is unknown
whether search-phase calls also convey social information. Here we
investigated whether search-phase echolocation calls, distinct calls
produced by some bat species to scan large open areas for prey, can
additionally convey individual identity. We tested this in Molossus
molossus, a neotropical insectivorous bat that forages with group members,
presumably to find ephemeral insect swarms more efficiently. We caught M.
molossus from six different social groups and recorded their search-phase
calls during a standardized release procedure, then recaptured and tested
19 marked bats with habituation-dishabituation playback experiments. We
showed that they can discriminate between group members based on
search-phase calls, and our statistical analysis of call parameters
supported the presence of individual signatures in search-phase calls.
Individual discrimination is a prerequisite of individual recognition,
which may allow M. molossus to maintain contact with group members while
foraging without using specialized signals for communication.