Posted on 08/31/2009 9:36:40 AM PDT by JoeProBono
In the musical city of Austin, Texas, a group of smelly, pug-faced crooners is hoping to woo some females with surprisingly complex tunes.
That's the finding of a new study of Brazilian free-tailed bats, which now join songbirds and whales as some of the only animals known to use a kind of musical language during courtship.
Also known as the Mexican free-tailed bat, the species is quite numerous in Austin and around the Texas A&M University football stadium in College Park.
Based on recordings of the animals from both locations, the researchers found that the bats' songs contain definite phrases made up of birdlike chirps, buzzes, and trills.
Males sing their ballads as they hang upside down or sideways, sometimes flapping their wings and dripping a foul-smelling liquid that further attracts females.
CHICK MAGNET
Who doesn't?
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