Eyeglass blade nose
| Eyeglass blade nose | ||||||||||||
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Spectacle blade nose ( Carollia perspicillata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Carollia perspicillata | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The spectacled nose ( Carollia perspicillata ) is a bat species from the family of the leaf noses (Phyllostomidae), which is native to Central and South America.
description
The nose of the spectacle blade differs from other species of the genus Carollia in its size, the little hairy feet and the length of the tibia . It weighs on average 18.5 g and has a wingspan of 30 cm. The ears are relatively short and pointed, the nasal blade also short and triangular. The lower lip is V-shaped with small warts. At 8 mm, the hair is relatively long and three-colored, with a dark base, a light center section and again a dark tip. The hair on the stomach, on the other hand, is usually one color. The fur color of the animals varies between dark brown, cinnamon and gray.
The Latin species name perspicillata actually refers to the presence of light stripes on the face, which is not the case with the nose of the glasses. The ambiguous species name probably comes from the earlier species name Vespertilio perspicillatum , which included three species of different genera, including one with facial stripes.
Way of life
The nose of the glasses is one of the most common bat species caught in ground nets in its range and thus one of the best-researched Neotropical species. Colonies are mainly found in hollow trees and caves, but also in buildings and other man-made structures. The colonies can contain over 100 individuals. Leaf noses are very social animals that also groom each other and show a high repertoire of social calls. Groups are organized in harems, which consist of one male and up to 5 females. The males actively lure the females into their harem by shouting and hovering, which is why one assumes an active female choice. On average, the females change harem every 17 days. Thus around 25% of the young animals in a harem do not come from the harem owner. Males without a harem and young males who are not yet sexually mature form so-called bachelor groups.
Known as predators are reptiles such as boa , birds like the barn owl , the mottled owl , the Spectacled and the cap Forest Falcon ( Micrastur semitorquatus ), tree-dwelling mammals such as possums and kinkajous , but other big bats like the spectral bat .
Lens nose noses can live up to twelve years. You can visit a captive colony in the Spandau Citadel in Berlin. With eight German owners, it is the most common bat in the German zoo landscape, after the Nile bat. By far the most successful breeder in Europe is Frankfurt.
nutrition
The nose of the eyeglass blade mainly eats low-fiber fruits with a high protein content. Like all members of the Carollia genus, it specializes in the fruits of pepper plants ( Piper ). Thanks to its excellent sense of smell, the nose of the glasses blade finds ripe fruit, which it breaks off and carries to a feeding place. A single animal eats up to 35 fruits per night, which makes the nose of the glasses an efficient and therefore important seed spreader . The nose of the glasses is considered to be the most important seed disperser of Piper amalago .
Pregnant and lactating females often visit mineral leak points in the Amazon basin , probably in order to absorb harmful phytochemicals by absorbing minerals. In addition to fruits, the nose of the glasses blade occasionally eats insects, nectar and pollen, especially during the dry season, when the occurrence of fruits is limited, but the main flowering time of most plants takes place. When food is scarce, the nose of the glasses blade can also go into torpor for a short time .
Reproduction
Glasses-nose females can become pregnant twice a year. During the gestation period of 115 to 120 days, the weight of the females increases by about 30%. After birth, the female eats the afterbirth and licks the young clean. The young are fleeing nests and are born with their eyes and ears open. The fur is already well developed on the back. Newborns weigh about 5 g and grow very quickly. After 6 weeks they reach the size and after 10–13 weeks the weight of a fully grown animal. During the first 23 days after birth, the young animal is carried around by the mother. The boys have specially trained teeth with which they cling to the mother's nipples. The young animal is later left behind in the colony during the mother's foraging flights, where it is guarded by the male harem. After 3–4 weeks, the young animals begin their first attempts at flight. After about 2 months, the young are weaned. About 42% of the females and 11% of the males then look for a new colony to which they can join, while the other animals of the new generation remain in the mother colony. The females are sexually mature after one year, the males after 1–2 years.
Museum piece, belly view, female
Same museum piece, rear view, female
Museum piece, belly view, juvenile
Same museum piece, rear view, juvenile
distribution and habitat
The distribution of the lens nose ranges from Mexico to Argentina . Their population is classified by the IUCN as stable and non-threatened thanks to their widespread distribution and likely large populations.
literature
- D. Cloutier, DW Thomas: Carollia perspicillata , Mammalian Species , No. 416 (1992): pp. 1-9
Web links
swell
- ^ CF Williams (1986) Social organization of the bat, Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Ethology, 17. pp. 265-282.
- ↑ [1] ZTL 15.6.
- ↑ CC Voigt, KA Caps, DKN Dechmann, RH Michner, TH Kunz (2008) Nutrition or Detoxification: Why Bats Visit Mineral Licks of the Amazonian Rainforest. Plos One, 3, e2011
- ^ FL Porter (1979) Social behavior in the leaf-nosed bat, Carollia perspicillata I. Social organization. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 49. pp. 406-417.
- ^ DG Kleiman, TM Davis (1979) Ontogeny and maternal care. In Biology of bats of the New World family Phyllostomidae, Part III. Pp. 387-402. Special Publications, The Museam, Texas Tech University
- ↑ Carollia perspicillata in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .