We eat meat: a review of carnivory in bats

Abstract

Abstract Some bat species in the families Phyllostomidae, Megadermatidae, and Nycteridae have long been known to consume terrestrial vertebrates and, more recently, reports of aerial‐hawking vespertilionid carnivores have surfaced. We review the diets, hunting behaviour and roosting ecology of 17 bat species that are known to consume terrestrial vertebrates: Vampyrum spectrum, Chrotopterus auritus, Trachops cirrhosus, Macroderma gigas, Megaderma (Lyroderma) lyra, Nycteris grandis, Nyctalus lasiopterus, Nyctalus aviator, Ia io, Antrozous pallidus, Cardioderma cor, Phyllostomus hastatus, Mimon (Gardnerycteris) crenulatum, Mimon cozumelae, Tonatia saurophila, Tonatia bidens, and Lophostoma silvicolum. Data on their diet and roosts were obtained from 241 original works, with considerable differences in the amount of research and information available among species. Carnivorous bats were found to belong to an ecologically diverse group and share little but their diet. Therefore, we define a carnivorous bat as a bat that, either year‐round or seasonally, uses terrestrial vertebrates as the main component of its diet, at least in part of its geographic range. We conclude from available data that Mimon crenulatum, Lophostoma silvicolum, Mimon cozumelae, Phyllostomus hastatus, Tonatia bidens, Tonatia saurophila, Cardioderma cor, and Antrozous pallidus use vertebrates as a minor part of their diet and should not be considered carnivorous. The nine other species we reviewed do fit into the definition of carnivorous bats, and can be further subdivided based on their ecology and the seasonality of their habits into three categories: year‐round predominantly gleaning carnivores (Chrotopterus auritus, Trachops cirrhosus, and Vampyrum spectrum), seasonal predominantly gleaning carnivores (Megaderma lyra, Macroderma gigas, and Nycteris grandis) and seasonal aerial‐hawking bird‐eating carnivores (Ia io, Nyctalus aviator, and Nyctalus lasiopterus).