Broadly Applicable Tracking System facts for kids
The Broadly Applicable Tracking System, known as BATS, is a tiny, super light tool. It looks a bit like a small backpack. Scientists carefully glue BATS onto the backs of bats or other small animals. Then, they use GPS and wireless internet to follow where the animal travels.
The scientists who created BATS say it's special. It's lighter than other tracking systems and uses less power. It can even track animals inside dark caves or hollow trees!
BATS can be made using a 3D printer. It's so light that it doesn't slow down small bats when they fly. After about two weeks (fourteen days), BATS falls off the animal. This allows scientists to collect the fallen trackers and reuse some of their parts.
Scientists used BATS to learn something cool about vampire bats. They found that these bats can form friendships when they are kept together by humans. They even remember these friends after being set free!
What Does BATS Stand For?
Scientists named the tool the "Broadly Applicable Tracking System" because they think it can be used on many different animals. "Broadly applicable" means it can be used in lots of ways. This could include bats, small rodents, amphibians like frogs, and reptiles like lizards. As of April 2020, BATS has only been used to track bats.
Who Invented BATS?
The team that invented BATS includes scientists from a museum in Berlin, Germany. Other scientists from universities in Germany and Ohio State University in the United States also helped create it.
