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Instituto Internacional de Ecologia, Brazilian Journal of Biology, 4(68), p. 819-822, 2008

DOI: 10.1590/s1519-69842008000400017

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Do bigger bats need more time to forage?

Journal article published in 2008 by C.-E.-L. Esbérard, H.-G. Bergallo ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Postprint: policy unknown
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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

We test the hypothesis is that bats using the same area and at the same time would be using similar preys, but they would have different foraging times due to specific differences in biomass. A total of 730 captures was analyzed 13 species of Vespertilionidae and Molossidae bats netted over a small dam in southeastern Brazil from 1993 and 1999. The relationship between the average time of captures and the biomass of the species of Vespertilinidae and Molossidae most frequent (captures > 4) was positive and significant (r = 0.83, p = 0.022, N = 7). Two lines are discussed to answer the longer foraging time for bigger bats: 1) larger insectivorous bats don't consume proportionally larger preys and 2) larger insects are less available.