Rapid behavioral changes during early development in Peters' tent-making bat (Uroderma bilobatum)

Abstract

Bats transition from flightless, milk-sustained infants to volant, foraging juveniles in the span of a few weeks to a few months. This rapid development is accompanied by fast growth and weight gain, but behavioral development remains poorly understood. We addressed development of maternal support and pup independence for Peters' tent-making bat (Uroderma bilobatum) in light of population level reproductive patterns. Uroderma bilobatum exhibited seasonal bimodal polyoestry at our study site. Births occurred over one month within a reproductive bout, resulting in variable levels of behavioral development for pups in the same maternity group. Pups reached adult forearm length more quickly than adult mass, facilitating the ontogeny of flight. Maternal support consisted of nursing and thermoregulation, transporting pups between night and day roosts, and milk provisioning between foraging bouts. We did not observe provisioning with solid food. Pups interacted only with their own mother. Between 25 to 40 days into a reproductive bout they matured by suckling progressively less and fledging over multiple nights in a two-stage process assisted by mothers. We describe several parturition events as well as a novel form of stereotyped tactile stimulation involving forearm pulses by mothers against suckling pups that may serve to promote weaning. Rapid behavioral changes in both pups and mothers accompany pup morphological development through maturation.