O’Donnell (2002): Influence of sex and reproductive status on nocturnal activity and night roost-ing by the New Zealand long-tailed bat.

O’Donnell, C. F. J. 2002. Influence of sex and reproductive status on nocturnal activity and night roost-ing by the New Zealand long-tailed bat Chalinolobus tuberculatus. Journal of Mammalogy 83: 794–803.

This paper tests the hypothesis that reproductive long-tailed bats should forage for longer than other classes. Length of active periods did not differ among reproductive females, non-repro-ductive females, and adult males. Reproductive females were active for significantly longer during lactation than during preg-nancy but not post-lactation. I predict few differences between reproductive classes because: energy demands are high through-out the reproductive cycle; females have different mechanisms, such as increasing foraging efficiency, using torpor, and select-ing thermally beneficial roosts, for balancing high energy re-quirements; and energy demands limit all classes in the cold temperate climate when food is in short supply.