Christmas Cracker Fact
- Thread starter ttxela
- Start date
I've watched a large bat flight out of a cave (Sauta Cave, has over 200,000 gray bats) and really the way out is up but some angled right some angled left some flew up straight...once up above the treeline again it was all directions. So...guessing myth. I mean for an "always" as soon as you spot one it's disproven and I've definitely seen more than one turn right...or go straight!
Peter Burgess
New member
If the bat appears to turn right, it might be flying upside down.
langcliffe
Well-known member
"An Analysis of Visitor Circulation: Movement Patterns and the General Value Principle" by Stephen Bitgood does not actually support the turn left tendency.:
Visitor movement at first appears chaotic. Some studies have found high rates of turning right at choice points, others have not. Some studies have found random-seeming movements through exhibitions, others have observed predictable walking patterns.
Visitor movement at first appears chaotic. Some studies have found high rates of turning right at choice points, others have not. Some studies have found random-seeming movements through exhibitions, others have observed predictable walking patterns.
andys
Well-known member
This could be similar to the thorny question of how people arrange their milk bottles in their fridge. Personally, I put the newer bottles on the right since they tend to get used from the left. I know I'm not alone, but not sure how widespead this phenomena is. I did once propose to do some PhD research to study the above in more detail - but for some reason, was unable to attract any funding.
kay
Well-known member
Bob Mehew said:
'Fraid not. I was told it by the chap who was employed by the Museum to analyse visitor behaviour with a view to designing more effective exhibits, but he died suddenly about 30 years ago, so I can't ask him for his source. But having just read one of Bitgood's papers (thanks Langcliffe) I see he quotes Melton as saying they turn right. So it is possible that I've got it the wrong way round. I know I started making a point of turning the "wrong" way whenever I went into an exhibition, so I've probably got myself completely confused.
Bob Mehew
Well-known member
kay said:
thanks. I must admit that I sense that the behaviour of humans as well as bats is probably dependent upon many factors. Going back to the original questions on bats, one such factor could be the movement of air outside the cave. But if a bat knows that food is more frequently found to the left than the right, then that is possibly the predominating factor. Just the same as I drift to the left on entering the Shrewsbury Tesco because that is where the food is, where as I drift to the right in the Southport Tesco because the store is laid out the other way around! Sounds like an experiment for someone to monitor people's choices at an initial T junction after entry into a maze. Though I doubt if one would get permission to do it with bats.
Peter Burgess
New member
I cannot resist pointing out that Bob has responded, unsurprisingly, to a post that starts "frayed knot".
