Cases of induced alloparental care in Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat

Authors

  • Dennis Castillo-Figueroa Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Erin E. Stukenholtz Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
  • Richard D. Stevens Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
  • Jairo Pérez-Torres Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional, Bogotá, Colombia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/nbc.2018.134.09

Abstract

Alloparental care has been reported in over 120 mammalian species. Here, we describe the first observed cases of induced alloparental care in Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata) at Macaregua cave (Santander, Colombia). As a part of a reproductive study, specimens of C. perspicillata were sampled between June and August 2015. During two separate occasions, we observed the willingness of lactating females to accept and carry abandoned pups, after we put a female and a non-parental pup together. Additional data is needed to confirm adoption capacity of Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat. This is the first observation of potentially cooperative behavior in this species.

Keywords: alloparenting, Chiroptera, cooperative behavior, Colombia, lactating females.

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Published

2018-12-30

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2018): October/December

Section

Short Communication

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