Research
We study the ecology and evolution of animal behavior. We are specifically interested in predator-prey interactions, the sensory and cognitive ecology of foraging, and the effect of eavesdroppers on the evolution of the mating signals of their prey. These studies allow us to examine how an animal’s sensory and cognitive abilities influence how it makes a living in the wild, how it exploits the behavior of other species to do so, and how the dynamics of predator-prey interactions evolve.
Team
We are a group of behavioral biologists studying the sensory and cognitive ecology of Neotropical bats and their prey.
Featured publications
James LS, O’Mara MT, Touchon JC, Ryan MJ, Bernal XE, Page RA. 2025. The ontogeny of predatory response behavior in an eavesdropping bat. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 292: 20250450. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0450.
Muñoz-Romo M, Cohen G, Page RA. 2025. Actual folivory in bats: whole leaves as a formerly dismissed trophic item and a potential avenue for self-medication. Behaviour. doi:10.1163/1568539X-bja10297.
Chaverri G, Page RA. 2024. Food-associated calls in disc-winged bats. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 78: 119. doi:10.1007/s00265-024-03534-8.
Featured bat lab story
Guano secrets
DNA in fringe-lipped bat poop reveals unexpected eating habits
Patricia Jones discusses the secrets that can be discovered through the DNA found in poop in their new article: Jones PL, Divoll TJ, Dixon MM, Aparicio D, Cohen G, Mueller U, Ryan MJ, Page RA. 2020. Sensory ecology of the frog-eating bat, Trachops cirrhosus, from DNA metabarcoding and behavior. Behavioral Ecology. Illustration by Bat Lab Artist-in-Residence, Amy Koehler.
Featured video
Are bats spying on their prey?
Are bats in the canopy eavesdropping on the mating signals of their prey? Amanda Savage investigates how gleaning bats find their prey at different heights in the forest, and whether they eavesdrop on katydid mating signals, not just near the forest floor, but high up into the canopy as well.
Resources for kids
Bats & frogs book
Thanks to amazing illustration and writing by artist Damond Kyllo with animation by Andrew Quitmeyer, the bat-frog book has come to life! Learn about the incredible diversity of bats, the senses they use to navigate their environments, and their ingenious strategies for finding prey.
Contact
Panama mailing address
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Attn: Rachel Page
Apartado 0843 – 03092
Panamá, República de Panamá
US mailing address
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Attn: Rachel Page
9100 Panama City Place
Washington DC 20521-9100, USA