Diet of the Fishing Bat, Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. American Society of Mammalogists is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Mammalogy.The diet of Noctilio leporinus was examined on the Island of Culebra, Puerto Rico, by collecting discarded prey below roosts and by making biweekly collections of guano over a 9-month period. Small insects, mostly beetles and moths, predominated in the diet during the wet season. During the dry season, pelagic and freshwater fish represented a greater proportion of the diet than did insects. Crabs, scorpions, shrimp, and terrestrial insects were consumed in small quantities. Small beetles, moths, and other insects were caught in flight, whereas fish and terrestrial invertebrates were caught in a bats' feet. N. leporinus is both an aerial insectivore and piscivore, with a flexible foraging strategy that can adjust to local conditions and include terrestrial prey.

Lunar phobia in the greater fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

“…On nights when the usual feeding period was very bright or rainy, the bulk of feeding activity shifted to a later time. Bats generally fed in a manner well documented in other population studies (Brooke 1997). They often were seen flying in groups of up to six bats, and would fly in a line, with 5-7 m between each bat, following the lead bats flight patterns.…”

“…It possesses highly specialized body attributes for feeding extensively on fish, the most characteristic of which are highly modified feet with long, laterally flattened toes and sharply curved claws for gaffing fish (Fish 1991). Other attributes include its large size (50 -90 g (Brooke 1994), body length 98 -132 mm (Nowack 1999)) and wingspan (forearm length >75 mm, wingspan 500 mm) (Hood and Jones 1984). The fishing bat's large wings allow it to drag its feet through the water over long distances and lift heavy prey free of the surface, and are coated with reflective water-shedding oil (Malino 1994).…”

“…Day roosts include caves, hollow trees, and abandoned buildings. Harem females usually forage as a group, although males forage independently with no regard to their daytime associations (Brooke 1997). Night roosts are occupied only when the bats are between hunting bouts, and are used as a perch while chewing and swallowing food and for rest between feeding forays.…”

Host characteristics do not affect community structure of ectoparasites on the fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (L., 1758) (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

“…The behavioral characteristics of the bat together with the host availability in the area could be responsible for such a pattern. According to Brooke (1997) N. leporinus roost in discrete groups (composed by 1-11 individuals) in hollow trees and caves, with colonies ranging in size from a few to a hundred bats (Hood & Jones 1984). This kind of spatial arrangement inside roosting areas plus movements between bat clusters should enhance host finding.…”

“…This kind of spatial arrangement inside roosting areas plus movements between bat clusters should enhance host finding. In addition, with roost characteristics, the behavior of bats includes seasonal movements between different bat groups (Brooke 1997), which should facilitate the colonization of new sites.…”