Collection of Short-Tailed Fruit Bats (Carollia perspicillata) from the Wild: Figure 1.

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONAdult female short-tailed fruit bats (Carollia perspicillata) exhibit a relatively high degree of reproductive synchronization in populations sampled carefully in Central America and on Trinidad. On the basis of these studies and temporal data for pregnancies in captive-bred animals, one may be able to sample adult female Carollia from other populations and, during much of the year, predict when different embryonic stages might be prevalent. Most adult female Carollia on Trinidad seem to carry two pregnancies each year, based on the observation that more than 90% are typically pregnant when sampled around the middle of each pregnancy period. For many females, the first pregnancy appears to be established between September and early November, includes a period of post-implantational developmental delay at the primitive streak stage, and is completed in March or April. A peak in births has been observed around April 1. Most parous females then conceive again at a post-partum estrus. In captive animals, this estrus usually occurs between 3 and 6 d after parturition, but sometimes, it is several days later. Using the available temporal data on pregnancies in both captive and wild Carollia, it is possible to predict when embryos at particular stages of development are most likely to be carried by females in the wild population on Trinidad. A similar approach might be used to collect embryos from another population, as outlined in this protocol.