Colonies of the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) were located and studied in Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, and Randolph Counties, Indiana, from June 12, 1988 through August 25, 1989. During the study, 24 colonies were located. Attempts were made to capture as many bats as possible during visits to the colonies. Colony sites were revisited several times during the two year study. A total of 1,846 bats were captured, banded and examined. During examinations bats were sexed, aged, weighed, and checked for wing damage and ectoparasites. The weights from the captured bats provided data on differences in bat weights for the summer of 1988 and 1989. The summer of 1988 was characterized by drier than normal precipitation, and the summer of 1989 had wetter than normal precipitation. Several comparisons were carried out on the data. The comparisons showed a correlation between increased rainfall and increased bat weights. In the wet year of 1989, adult bats were significantly heavier than they were in 1988. Juveniles were slightly heavier but not significantly. Further detailed data regarding age and sex ratios; wing damage and ectoparasite occurence are discussed briefly. / Department of Biology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/183879 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Howell, Kenneth J. |
| Contributors | Ball State University. Dept. of Biology., Cartwright, Anne M. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | iv, 110 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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