The purpose of this study was to determine whether canine wear influences the diet of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We hypothesized that tooth wear reduces the ability to consume hard-bodied insects, such as beetles, and that older E. fuscus (those with worn canines) would thus include fewer beetles in their diet than younger individuals (those with less-worn canines) do. We examined 600 fecal pellets collected from 60 female bats captured at a single maternity colony in southeastern Alberta, Canada. The diets of two groups were similar in composition, despite considerable differences in canine wear. Diets were dominated by beetles (Coleoptera), which accounted for 30 to 40% of the identifiable food items. Younger bats included more beetles in their diet, although the difference was not statistically significant. The results suggest that older bats are still able to use their worn canines to effectively puncture hard exoskeleton, perhaps because of the angular shape of the worn teeth.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 June 2003
The Effect of Canine Tooth Wear on the Diet of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)
Y. Reneé Mensing-Solick,
Robert M. R. Barclay
R. Adams
1996. Size-specific resource use in juvenile little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): is there an ontogenetic shift? Canadian Journal of Zoology, 74: 1204–1210. Google Scholar
R. M. Brigham
, and
M. B. Saunders
.
1990. The diet of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in relation to insect availability in southern Alberta, Canada. Northwest Science, 64: 7–10. Google Scholar
A. R. Evans
, and
G. D. Sanson
.
1998. The effect of tooth shape on the breakdown of insects. Journal of Zoology (London), 246: 391–400. Google Scholar
C. L. Frank
1991. Adaptations for hibernation in the depot fats of a ground squirrel (Spermophilus beldingi). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 69: 2707–2711. Google Scholar
P. W. Freeman
1979. Specialized insectivory: beetle-eating and moth-eating molossid bats. Journal of Mammalogy, 60: 467–479. Google Scholar
P. W. Freeman
1992. Canine teeth of bats (Microchiroptera): size, shape, and role in crack propagation. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 45: 97–115. Google Scholar
P. W. Freeman
1998. Form, function, and evolution in skulls and teeth of bats. Pp. 140–156,
in
Bat biology and conservation (
T. H. Kunz and
P. A. Racey, eds.).
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 365 pp. Google Scholar
P. W. Freeman
, and
W. N. Weins
.
1997. Puncturing ability of bat canine teeth: the tip. Pp. 225–232,
in
Life among the muses: papers in honor of James S. Findley (
T. L. Yates,
W. L. Gannon, and
D. E. Wilson, eds.).
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 290 pp. Google Scholar
F. Geiser
, and
G. J. Kenagy
.
1993. Dietary fats and torpor patterns in hibernating ground squirrels. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 71: 1182–1186. Google Scholar
J. S. Hall
1957. Longevity records and notes on tooth wear of bats. Journal of Mammalogy, 38: 407–409. Google Scholar
I. M. Hamilton
, and
R. M. R. Barclay
.
1998. Diets of juvenile, yearling, and adult big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in southeastern Alberta. Journal of Mammalogy, 79: 764–771. Google Scholar
S. L. Holroyd
1993. Influences of some extrinsic and intrinsic factors on reproduction by big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in southeastern Alberta. M.S. Thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, 126 pp. Google Scholar
R. F. Kay
, and
W. S. Sheine
.
1979. On the relationship between chitin particle size and digestibility in the primate Galago senegalensis. The American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 50: 301–308. Google Scholar
J. M. Lanyon
, and
G. D. Sanson
.
1986. Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) dentition and nutrition. II. Implications of tooth wear in nutrition. Journal of Zoology (London), 209: 69–181. Google Scholar
K. Marchetti
, and
T. Price
.
1989. Differences in the foraging of juvenile and adult birds: the importance of developmental constraints. Biological Reviews, 64: 51–70. Google Scholar
C. McArthur
, and
G. D. Sanson
.
1988. Tooth wear in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus), and its potential influence on diet selection, digestion, and population parameters. Journal of Zoology (London), 215: 491–504. Google Scholar
M. N. McLeod
, and
D. J. Minson
.
1969. Sources of variation in the in vitro digestibility of tropical grasses. Journal of the British Grassland Society, 24: 244–249. Google Scholar
S. L. Rolseth
,
C. E. Koehler
, and
R. M. R. Barclay
.
1994. Differences in the diets of juvenile and adult hoary bats, Lasiurus cinereus. Journal of Mammalogy, 75: 394–398. Google Scholar
G. Schalk, and
R. M. Brigham.
1995. Prey selection by insectivorous bats: are essential fatty acids important? Canadian Journal of Zoology, 73: 1855–1859. Google Scholar
C. Shiel
,
C. McAney
,
C. Sullivan
, and
J. Fairley
.
1997. Identification of arthropod fragments in bat droppings. Occasional Publication of the Mammal Society, The Mammal Society, London, 17: 1–48. Google Scholar
S. G. Strait
1993. Molar morphology and food texture among small-bodied insectivorous mammals. Journal of Mammalogy, 74: 391–402. Google Scholar
P. Unger
, and
M. Williamson
.
2000. Exploring the effects of tooth wear on functional morphology: a preliminary study using dental topographic analysis. Palaeontologica Electronica, 3: 1–18. Google Scholar
E. E. Werner
, and
J. F. Gilliam
.
1984. The ontogenetic niche and species interactions in size-structured populations. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 15: 393–425. Google Scholar
J. O. Whitaker Jr
.
1988. Food habits analysis of insectivorous bats. Pp. 171–179,
in
Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats (
T. H. Kunz, ed.).
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 533 pp. Google Scholar
J. O. Whitaker Jr
.
1995. Food of the big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus from maternity colonies in Indiana and Illinois. The American Midland Naturalist, 134: 346–360. Google Scholar
S. I. Yoerg
1994. Development of foraging behaviour in Eurasian dippers, Cinclus cinclus, from fledging until dispersal. Animal Behaviour, 47: 577–588. Google Scholar