Meeting Abstract

17.5  Thursday, Jan. 3  Roost-making behavior and bite force of bats living inside active termite nests SANTANA, Sharlene E.*; DECHMANN, Dina K. N.; DUMONT, Elizabeth R.; UMass Amherst; Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; UMass Amherst ssantana@bio.umass.edu

Most mammals are polygynous, often living in small groups in which one or a few males mate with several females. Males often attract females by defending key resources such as roosts, including many polygynous bats. In one genus of New World leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae, Lophostoma), males make roosts by excavating a chamber inside active termite nests. These nests are harder than the insects Lophostoma consumes, thus males spend considerable time and probably energy in roost construction and maintenance. We tested the hypothesis that this cost is offset either by sexual dimorphism or unique performance attributes of Lophostoma compared to its non nest-building relatives. We documented roost-making behavior in Lophostoma and measured bite force, tooth wear and basic morphometric variables in Lophostoma and 8 other phyllostomids. We found no evidence of sexual dimorphism in either bite force or cranial morphology in Lophostoma, and no evidence that it has unusually high maximum bite force. However, we did find that Lophostoma uses its canine teeth to excavate termite nests and that its canine bite force is relatively higher than in close relatives with a similar diet. The capacity of Lophostoma to generate relatively high bite forces with their canine teeth could represent an adaptation for excavating roost in live termite nests. Whether high canine bite forces are traceable to specializations muscular or bony morphology remains to be determined. In either case, there does appear to be a link between an important social behavior, roost construction, and biting performance.