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Roosts Used by Sturnira lilium (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in Belize 1
Author(s) -
Fenton M. B.,
Vonhof M. J.,
Bouchard S.,
Gill S. A.,
Johnston D. S.,
Reid F. A.,
Riskin D. K.,
Standing K. L.,
Taylor J. R.,
Wagner R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2000.tb00521.x
Subject(s) - frond , biology , vine , zoology , ecology , archaeology , geography , botany
Between 9 and 22 January 1999, radio‐tracking revealed that nine Sturnira lilium (seven females, one lactating, and two males) used hollow trees (N = 5), vine tangles (TV = 2), or the bases of palm fronds (TV = 1) as day roosts near Lamanai in Belize over 43 roost days. The bats roosted in hollows of four tree species, and the roost entrances ranged from 2.0 to 7.9 m above the ground. Radio–tagged individuals returned to the same roosts day after day, with the exception of a subadult female that used at least three day roosts over the course of the study. In their day roosts, S. lilium were inconspicuous, difficult to flush, and easily overlooked. Radio–tagged bats usually roosted alone and emerged significantly later than bats without radio tags.