How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2009 A First Assessment of Home Range and Foraging Behaviour of the African Long-Tongued Bat Megaloglossus woermanni (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in a Heterogeneous Landscape within the Lama Forest Reserve, Benin
Natalie Weber, Elisabeth K. V. Kalko, Jakob Fahr
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

We investigated spatial use and foraging behaviour of the nectarivorous African long-tongued bat, Megaloglossus woermanni (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), in the Lama Forest Reserve, southern Benin, West Africa. We monitored movement and activity patterns of two males and two females that were fitted with position-sensitive radio transmitters for five to nine nights within a three-month study period. The study site comprised the central patch of relatively undisturbed forest (‘Noyau Central’), and a mosaic of orchards, agroforestry plantations, and degraded forests surrounding the central patch. Spatial use of M. woermanni was characterized by small home ranges and high site-fidelity. Mean home range sizes (minimum convex polygon) were larger in females (139.0 and 146.8 ha) than in males (99.8 and 102.9 ha). Throughout the study period, long-tongued bats were frequently observed visiting flowers of cultivated bananas. The mean foraging areas (95% density kernel) of females (39.0 and 109.4 ha) were much larger than in males (12.3 and 14.1 ha). Difference in core areas (50% density kernel) between the sexes was less marked (both females: 6.8 ha, males: 2.7 and 2.9 hectares). Core areas constituted only a small part of home ranges (2.6–4.9%). Large segments of the home ranges were only used for commuting flights between discrete resource patches. Our study provides, for the first time, information on home ranges and foraging behaviour of the sole obligate nectar-drinking bat in Africa.

© Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS
Natalie Weber, Elisabeth K. V. Kalko, and Jakob Fahr "A First Assessment of Home Range and Foraging Behaviour of the African Long-Tongued Bat Megaloglossus woermanni (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in a Heterogeneous Landscape within the Lama Forest Reserve, Benin," Acta Chiropterologica 11(2), 317-329, (1 December 2009). https://doi.org/10.3161/150811009X485558
Received: 11 February 2009; Accepted: 4 June 2009; Published: 1 December 2009
KEYWORDS
animal-plant interactions
Dahomey Gap
foraging area
nectarivory
radio-tracking
spatial use
West Africa
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top