When the hunter becomes the hunted: foraging bat attacked by pit viper at frog chorus.

Bats contend with a great diversity of predators, though predation on bats is considered to be opportunistic and the frequency at which it occurs is unknown. Snake-on-bat predation in the New World is increasingly well documented, though records are largely limited to arboreal colubrids and boids hunting in caves (Esbérard and Vrcibradic 2007). Here we report predation of what was likely a fringe-lipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus) by a fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) (Fig. 1). Trachops cirrhosus is an extensively studied bat, known for its predation of túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) (Fig. 2) (Tuttle and Ryan 1981, Page and Jones 2016). Our observation of bat predation in túngara habitat by a terrestrial snake has implications for potential risks incurred by gleaning bats as they approach the ground to forage.