Was Palaeolake Messel a death-trap? Insight from modern bat drownings and decay experiments

A study challenges the notion that Palaeolake Messel was a deadly trap for bats. By analyzing modern bat drownings in swimming pools and conducting decay experiments on fresh bat carcasses, researchers found no evidence of elevated mortality rates at Messel beyond accidental drowning levels. The experiments revealed that water-filled lungs cause faster sinking, while all carcasses eventually disarticulate and sink within days to weeks. The study also estimated annual bat mortality at Messel to be comparable to swimming pool incidents, with rare mass mortality horizons for vertebrates. This research provides quantitative insights into the fate of bat fossils, suggesting that Messel was not a significant death-trap as previously hypothesized.

Smith, K. T., Rabenstein, R., & O’Keefe, J. (2024). Was Palaeolake Messel a death-trap? Insight from modern bat drownings and decay experiments. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 104(4), 977–997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-024-00631-4