Bats can catch and eat birds mid-flight. A painter may have known that 400 years before scientists

A 1611 painting by an unknown Renaissance artist depicts a bat mid-air with a bird in its claws, a behavior scientists documented in 2025. The artwork, now analyzed by researchers, suggests the painter observed bats hunting birds mid-flight—a rare and previously understudied predatory technique.

Coverage highlights the painting’s potential as the earliest known visual record of this behavior, predating scientific confirmation by centuries. Outlets including *IFLScience*, *Smithsonian Magazine*, *The Indian Express*, and CBC note the discovery’s implications for historical naturalist observations and the intersection of art and science.

Watch for further analysis on the painting’s provenance and whether other Renaissance works contain overlooked scientific details. Researchers may also explore whether this behavior was documented in earlier texts or artworks.