Citation
Reciprocal food sharing in the vampire bat
TL;DR
Vampire bats regurgitate blood to share with unsuccessful hunters in their colony
This landmark study discovered the mechanism behind vampire bat cooperation: individual recognition and memory. Wilkinson demonstrated that bats remember who shared blood with them and reciprocate, while ostracizing cheaters who received blood but refused to share.
The research provided biological evidence for tit-for-tat cooperation emerging in nature, showing that cheater detection and punishment (ostracism leading to starvation) makes cooperation evolutionarily stable. This directly informs how digital reputation systems must function: public memory, punishment of defectors, and future value exceeding present cheating gains.
Key Findings from Wilkinson (1984)
- Vampire bats regurgitate blood to share with unsuccessful hunters in their colony
- Bats recognize individuals and remember sharing history
- Bats preferentially share with those who have shared with them
- Cheaters (recipients who later refuse to share) get ostracized
- Ostracism is effectively a death sentence - cheaters starve on next hunting failure