Taste aversion learning in the bat, Carollia perspicillata

Taste aversion learning was studied in a species of frugivorous bat, Carollia perspicillata. Over the course of conditioning, there was a marked reduction in consumption of the test food that was conditionally paired with injections of lithium chloride, and an increase in consumption of the alternative, "safe" food. No significant changes in food consumption were found with bats receiving either saline injections or no treatment. In addition, while all bats decreased their relative consumption of the test food during two-choice postconditioning tests as compared to pretests, the experimental (LiCl) subjects showed a significantly greater decrease. These results thus extend the comparative study of learned taste aversions to a different species of mammal.