Early Morning Activity: New records of diurnal behavior in Mexican bats

Abstract

Bats are predominantly nocturnal animals, but some studies, mainly from temperate regions and islands, report bats flying during the day. We report the diurnal foraging of three species of bats in Mexico, one species of the family Vespertilionidae, and two Phyllostomidae (Anoura and Artibeus). In addition, we document the first in situ record of fruit consumption on the ground for Artibeus. Diurnal flight in bats is a poorly documented behavior in the tropics. Furthermore, we suggest that extreme heat and drought may influence this behavior, as two reports occurred during periods of drought.

Keywords

• Diurnal foraging
• drought
• Phyllostomidae
• Vespertilionidae