Reproductive Pattern of the Silky Short-Tailed BatCarollia brevicauda(Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the Andes of Colombia

Abstract

The silky short-tailed bat (Carollia brevicauda) is common and widely distributed in the Neotropic; however, data on reproductive biology is scarce. Here, we present the results of a monitoring of two colonies in the Andes of Colombia. The high recapture rate allowed us to estimate the length of pregnancy, lactation, and between-births interval. Results showed that this species reproduced with low synchrony throughout the year and may exhibit a polyoestry reproductive pattern with oestrous postpartum that lasts around eight months. The pregnancy length was two and a half months to three months and lactation length was one and a half month to two months. Males also showed reproductive activity throughout the year. The asynchronous reproduction of this species at the study area suggests that factors related to body condition may be more important for timing of reproduction than environmental cues. The reproductive life-history traits of this species are similar to other species of the genus Carollia and Phyllostomidae family.