Abstract

BORK, Karrigan S. Lunar phobia in the greater fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae). Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2006, vol.54, n.4, pp.1117-1123. ISSN 0034-7744.

The nightly activity patterns of Noctilio leporinus, a piscivorous neotropical bat, were documented by visual observation over one lunar cycle at a large dock in Golfito, Costa Rica. The activity patterns were compared to the intensity of the moonlight, and a strong correlation between darkness and activity was observed (n = 776, r² = 0.96). This correlation has been observed in many species of mammals and may indicate adaptation by potential prey species to avoid predation by visually oriented nighttime predators and/or an adaptation by predators to maximize hunting success. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54 (4): 1117-1123. Epub 2006 Dec. 15.

Keywords : Noctilio; piscivore; lunar phobia; moonlight; predation; bat; foraging.

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