Overview
- University of Georgia researchers tested 60 museum specimens from six species and found every one emitted a green photoluminescence under 410 nm ultraviolet light.
- The glow appeared on wings, hind limbs, and the uropatagium and was consistent across sexes and ages, with some variation in intensity but not color.
- Authors say the shared pattern likely reflects inheritance from a common ancestor, and they rule out mate attraction or interspecies signaling as current functions.
- The emitted wavelengths fall within bats’ visual range, yet researchers are unsure whether natural nocturnal or roosting conditions provide enough UV for the effect to be visible.
- The peer-reviewed study was published July 28, 2025 in Ecology & Evolution, marking the first documented case in North American bats and setting up live-bat and field investigations as the next step.