Deep Torpor Patterns and Body Mass Loss of Above-Ground Hibernating Bats (Nyctalus noctula) in Captivity ― Effects of Sex, Age, and Grouping ...

• Main Authors: Moiseienko, Marharyta, Vlaschenko, Anton
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2024
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Nyctalus noctula
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13445040; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13445040

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Hibernation patterns of European bat species, especially those that hibernate above ground, remain under-explored. Our study focused on Nyctalus noctula, a common species among above-ground hibernating bats. We conducted the study on 22 individuals, manipulating group size and sex-age ratio in a captive setting, and recorded skin temperature data using temperature loggers. Bats hibernating in groups awoke less frequently and had more prolonged torpor bouts than solitary hibernating bats. The latter cooled faster during periods of arousal, but their time in the warming and euthermic stages was similar to that of individuals hibernating in groups. A general linear model (GLM) analysis revealed that all the factors we examined, including ambient temperature, sex, age, group size, and body mass, significantly affected the likelihood of a bat being in a state of hibernation or arousal. Young females with high body mass and hibernating in a group had a notably ...