Foraging bats demonstrated both affiliative and competitive interactions with different social calls linked to each interaction type. Repeating foraging encounters were predicted by within-roost association and histories of cooperation in captivity, even when accounting for kinship. We found that closely bonded female vampire bats departed their roost separately, but often reunited far outside the roost. We assessed evidence for 6 hypothetical scenarios of social foraging, ranging from individual to collective hunting. To evaluate if long-term cooperative relationships in vampire bats play a role in foraging, we tested if foraging encounters measured by proximity sensors could be explained by wild roosting proximity, kinship, or rates of co-feeding, social grooming, and food sharing during 21 months in captivity. However, it remains unclear whether these cooperative relationships extend beyond the roost. Food-sharing relationships form via preferred associations and social grooming within roosts. A striking example is that female vampire bats often regurgitate blood to socially bonded kin and nonkin that failed in their nightly hunt. Stable social bonds in group-living animals can provide greater access to food.
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