Big brown bats and June beetles: Multiple pursuit strategies in a seasonal acoustic predator–prey system

Abstract

Infrared video and ultrasonic recordings were made of echolocating big brown bats hunting for June beetles in the short May–June “beetle season.” Adult beetles emerge from the ground at twilight, beat their wings to warm up, and fly into nearby trees, where they swarm actively for ∼1 h. Beetles are attacked by bats while buzzing in the grass, while flying in the open during their brief ascent, and while still active among the leaves of trees. Bats routinely used different capture strategies during the course of a few minutes and may hear the beetles’ buzzing to guide attacks in vegetation.