Proc Biol Sci February 2013 PMID 23282995

Food sharing in vampire bats: reciprocal help predicts donations more than relatedness or harassment.

Gerald G Carter, Gerald S Wilkinson

Mentions

92
Peak: 3 in Nov 2021
across 6 sources since Apr 2020

Extended reach

1,129,876
potential audience

Total likes

41,017

Video views

1,092,857

Mentions per month

Apr 2020 – Oct 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News50 articles
  • X / Twitter15 posts
  • Blogs12 articles
  • Facebook9 posts
  • YouTube4 videos
  • Reddit2 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions demonstrate a strong alignment with the paper's findings, with comments emphasizing the natural altruism of vampire bats and referencing specific studies, such as Carter & Wilkinson (2013). The tone ranges from scientific to humorous, reflecting both engagement with the research and its real-world significance.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions reflect agreement with the idea that vampire bats' food-sharing behavior is an example of reciprocal altruism, as seen in comments praising their generosity and referencing scientific studies supporting this idea.

InterestHigh interest

Many posts express high interest by discussing detailed scientific concepts, such as biological markets theory, and referencing research papers and observations of bat behavior, indicating engagement with the topic.

EngagementModerate engagement

Posts go beyond simple agreement, with some participants mentioning biological mechanisms, related studies, and comparisons to societal behaviors, showing moderate to deep engagement.

ImpactHigh impact

The discussions highlight the importance of understanding social and biological cooperation, suggesting that the research has broad implications for understanding social systems in animals and humans, thus having high impact.

Abstract in brief

  • Food sharing in vampire bats is primarily driven by reciprocal help rather than kinship or harassment, with bats more often initiating sharing and choosing to share based on recent food received.
  • The study found that relatedness and harassment were less influential, with 85% more importance placed on recent food donations, and many sharing dyads were unrelated, indicating that altruism isn't solely due to kin recognition.
  • These findings support the idea that food sharing helps build social bonds and provides direct fitness benefits, rather than being driven by kin selection or harassment behaviors.

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Bob Muscarella
@BobMuscarella · X

@evornithology Definitely Vampire bat blood sharing This: https://t.co/dpl7ncl8un And more recently this: https://t.co/FmkAfIUqJE And a popular article (with audio): https://t.co/BxYX2hISoS

Nov 9, 2021 · 5 likes · 1,886 followers View post →
Alberta Bats
@albertabats · X

@joyofbats @evornithology https://t.co/9GS89Npo2l

Nov 9, 2021 · 3 likes · 4,574 followers View post →
Brandon Keim
@9brandon · X

@EricavonE Perhaps biological markets theory overlaps? E.g. sharing between vampire bats (the best-described example as far as I know) https://t.co/ax4CMbZbjO

Dec 10, 2021 · 1 like · 8,417 followers View post →
No Such Thing as Too Many Cycles
@TakethatCt · X

@CandySmith74 @mark_georgiou @ForTheUSA2 @1stthes521 @JustSayingWhat1 @acneonmyshirt @zalphaprime @Terrenc58307664 @donholtmac @Tokyogreen @robster16a @Catheri77148739 @imkimaaron @the1researcher @Atheist_1978 @LibertyDrunk @MysteriousWay15 @godspeedbarry @vg_yyc @StefanMolyneux @dougstone2019 @ImNotASkeleton2 @Xenophon13 @orna_verum @hauxton @westworld1974 @Cant_Read_Maps @TertiusIII @WilliamPitteng1 @Simple_Shaman @Janetb172 @PaulDubuisson @YvonneGetcarter @paulr140 @Atlanticus74 @Schmoop0521 @SDarkmore @DianWChain1 @RegularAnon @pray2pesci @TedPerkins10 @LeannEAF @Loriniowa @USMCNoggin @VLVerdi71 @NRA_TacoBowl_MS @2Apt10 @docsmoon @1pckt @C_82l Confucius had a version well before that. Similarly ALL societies including other primates have similar systems. Even vampire bats get it https://t.co/5WbwXFKcot

Apr 8, 2020 · 1 like · 5,477 followers View post →
N Shackleton-Jones
@shackletonjones · X

@DegenRolf This classic study of pro social behaviour in vampire bats suggests other species track reputation. Not sure about their working memory: https://t.co/CueQBQbyQl

Oct 4, 2021 · 1 like · 1 share · 5,330 followers View post →
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

@moalusi_victor To me it seems like Katie Porter has Saint Bernard of Vermont as rolemodel and is less social than a common vampire bat, by going against Democratic incumbents such as @RepShontelBrown from Ohio. https://t.co/nR8SSbUdN8

Jan 13, 2023 · 1 like · 1,423 followers View post →

All mentions

How to Identify a Psychopath in Society

Around 10 of humans are psychopaths, individuals unable to feel empathy and highly egocentric, posing an evolutionary paradox. This video explores how societies survivePsychopaths and the mechanisms that maintain…

Mario de Wonder · Oct 16, 2025 411,407 views
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

@ask_aubry This man is clearly dumber than a vampire bat! Because even among vampire bats, where reciprocal altruism is common, said altruism leads to more grooming each other or sharing of regurgitate blood, as vampire bats need to feed every 72 hours! https://t.co/nR8SSbUdN8

Feb 25, 2024 · 1 like · 1,423 followers View post →
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

This man is clearly dumber than a vampire bat! Because even among vampire bats, where reciprocal altruism is common, said altruism leads to more grooming each other or sharing of regurgitate blood, as vampire bats need to feed every 72 hours! https://t.co/nR8SSbUdN8 https://t.co/mZoR0hxT15

Feb 25, 2024 · 1,423 followers View post →
Sunny
@PetshoppSnake · X

@historyinmemes https://t.co/yadwD7GvtT

Jul 7, 2023 · 240 followers View post →
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

@moalusi_victor To me it seems like Katie Porter has Saint Bernard of Vermont as rolemodel and is less social than a common vampire bat, by going against Democratic incumbents such as @RepShontelBrown from Ohio. https://t.co/nR8SSbUdN8

Jan 13, 2023 · 1 like · 1,423 followers View post →
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

To me it seems like Katie Porter has Saint Bernard of Vermont as rolemodel and is less social than a common vampire bat, by going against Democratic incumbents such as @RepShontelBrown from Ohio. https://t.co/nR8SSbULCG https://t.co/k9cDR3dhLp

Jan 13, 2023 · 1,423 followers View post →
მე მხედარი, არა მეგობარი შენი.
@OG_Mkhedari · X

It seems like Katie Porter has Saint Bernard of Vermont as rolemodel and is less social than a common vampire bat, by going against Democratic incumbents such as @RepShontelBrown from Ohio. https://t.co/nR8SSbUdN8 https://t.co/EU4pkrv94y

Jan 13, 2023 · 1,423 followers View post →
BiologyStudentChester
@1917693chester1 · X

Its long been known that vampire bats donate food to unfed pups, a costly favour in nature. A study by Carter & Wilkinson (2013) has observed that bats which recieved this aid were more likely to also donate in the future! #BI6192 https://t.co/hcaqPmmUAX https://t.co/1eazUmT70g

Mar 25, 2022 · 1 like View post →
Brandon Keim
@9brandon · X

@EricavonE Perhaps biological markets theory overlaps? E.g. sharing between vampire bats (the best-described example as far as I know) https://t.co/ax4CMbZbjO

Dec 10, 2021 · 1 like · 8,417 followers View post →
Mirre Simons
@MirreSimons · X

@Caroline_Bartma I have read some papers on vampire bats in captivity so that is always a possibility. e.g. https://t.co/QbZSg4tyyR which uses a flight cage outside I think.

Nov 30, 2021 · 1,038 followers View post →
Alberta Bats
@albertabats · X

@joyofbats @evornithology https://t.co/9GS89Npo2l

Nov 9, 2021 · 3 likes · 4,574 followers View post →
Bob Muscarella
@BobMuscarella · X

@evornithology Definitely Vampire bat blood sharing This: https://t.co/dpl7ncl8un And more recently this: https://t.co/FmkAfIUqJE And a popular article (with audio): https://t.co/BxYX2hISoS

Nov 9, 2021 · 5 likes · 1,886 followers View post →
John S. Wilkins
@john_s_wilkins · X

RT @shackletonjones: @DegenRolf This classic study of pro social behaviour in vampire bats suggests other species track reputation. Not sur…

Oct 5, 2021 · 1 share · 1,649 followers View post →
N Shackleton-Jones
@shackletonjones · X

@DegenRolf This classic study of pro social behaviour in vampire bats suggests other species track reputation. Not sure about their working memory: https://t.co/CueQBQbyQl

Oct 4, 2021 · 1 like · 1 share · 5,330 followers View post →
Torill Kornfeldt
@vet_Torill · X

@jessicakabbott I really like the fact that vampirebat are so generous and sharing with their meals. :) https://t.co/JCzeiY1mbj

Oct 1, 2020 · 1 like · 1,291 followers View post →
No Such Thing as Too Many Cycles
@TakethatCt · X

@CandySmith74 @mark_georgiou @ForTheUSA2 @1stthes521 @JustSayingWhat1 @acneonmyshirt @zalphaprime @Terrenc58307664 @donholtmac @Tokyogreen @robster16a @Catheri77148739 @imkimaaron @the1researcher @Atheist_1978 @LibertyDrunk @MysteriousWay15 @godspeedbarry @vg_yyc @StefanMolyneux @dougstone2019 @ImNotASkeleton2 @Xenophon13 @orna_verum @hauxton @westworld1974 @Cant_Read_Maps @TertiusIII @WilliamPitteng1 @Simple_Shaman @Janetb172 @PaulDubuisson @YvonneGetcarter @paulr140 @Atlanticus74 @Schmoop0521 @SDarkmore @DianWChain1 @RegularAnon @pray2pesci @TedPerkins10 @LeannEAF @Loriniowa @USMCNoggin @VLVerdi71 @NRA_TacoBowl_MS @2Apt10 @docsmoon @1pckt @C_82l Confucius had a version well before that. Similarly ALL societies including other primates have similar systems. Even vampire bats get it https://t.co/5WbwXFKcot

Apr 8, 2020 · 1 like · 5,477 followers View post →