Observations on the Roosting and Foraging Behavior of Woolly False Vampire Bats, Chrotopterus auritus, in Belize

We report on roost use and foraging by Chrotopterus auritus (Woolly False Vampire Bat) based on data collected in April and May from 2012 to 2014. We found that bats were loyal to a single day-roost in a Maya temple located in a 30-ha block of intact native forest at Ka’Kabish in Orange Walk District of northern Belize. Further, bats spent most of their time searching for prey in the forest block around the roost site. Over 12 nights of tracking, we did record 2 individuals moving across a gravel road into the adjacent forest block, and an individual was tracked once to a location about 3 km east of Ka’Kabish. Consistent with our expectations, the 6 bats we followed were loyal to their day roost, but, unexpectedly, they rarely moved long distances to forage despite their large size and carnivorous habits. Our results suggest that when roosting opportunities are available, groups of Chrotopterus could be found in small blocks of intact forest.