Family: Phyllostomidae, New World Fruit Bats view all from this family
Description Only bat in eastern U.S. with noseleaf and no tail. Upperparts various shades of brown; underparts often grayish and usually somewhat paler than back. Often has pale facial stripes above and below eye. Averages: L 3 1/8" (80 mm); HF 5/8" (17 mm); FA 2 1/4" (54-60 mm); E 7/8" (22 mm); Wt 1 1/2 oz (42 g).
Warning Bats are susceptible to rabies, a serious viral disease that results in death if untreated. Rabid bats rarely attack humans or other animals, but bats found lying on the ground may be rabid. Never touch or pick up any bat. Stay away from any animal that seems to be acting strangely and report it to animal-control officers. If you are bitten by a possibly rabid animal, you must immediately consult a doctor for a series of injections; there is no cure once symptoms emerge.
Breeding Studies in Panama show that births peak in March and April, and again in July and August. Mating and implantation follow, but the pregnancy remains dormant from September to November. Development then proceeds normally until birth in March or April. 1 (rarely 2) young born to each female.
Habitat Wide range of forest types. In Florida Keys roosts mostly in buildings.
Range In North America found only in Florida, at Key West, Cudjoe Key, and Ramrod Key; may occur in other western Keys.
Discussion Even though no specimen has yet been taken, it seems clear that the Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat occurs in the Florida Keys. As it is widespread and often common in Cuba and on oceanic islands in the Caribbean, its occurrence in the Keys is not improbable, especially since it feeds primarily on fig trees, which fruit year-round in the western Keys. The Monroe County Extension offices on Stock Island in the western Keys report that big, tailless, leaf-nosed bats are regularly brought in. However, the records frequently are overlooked or ignored, and no specimens have ever been saved. The Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat was first reported in the Keys in 1872, but the record was discounted. On February 3, 1983, L. Page Brown photographed one of several flushed from East Martelo Tower, Key West. The bat in the photograph was then identified by two different biologists, James D. Lazell and Karl Koopman, as a Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat. The bat was not collected, and this record, too, was discounted. In 1984, a small colony of fruit bats (about six) moved into a house on Ramrod Key, but they were evicted before a specimen could be examined. On January 28, 1986, one landed on a screen in a Cudjoe Key house, where James Lazell was investigating a bat report. Although it soon departed, it was there long enough to be identified as a Jamiacan Fruit-eating Bat. It was also seen to fly into a large fig tree (Ficus citrifolia) near the house, from which ripe figs were falling at the time. Jamaican Fruit-eating Bats feed primarily on the fruit of fig trees (reproduction is tied closely to maximum abundance of the fig), but will also eat other kinds of fruit, including mango, avocado, and banana, as well as pollen, nectar, flower parts, and perhaps insects. Their fecal material often has the odor of the fruit consumed, as food passes through the digestive tract in 15 to 20 minutes. These bats may forage in small groups; captured individuals may produce stress calls, inducing "mobbing" behavior by other members of the group. They tend to be much less active on bright moonlit nights. These bats roost in buildings, caves, and hollow trees; they sometimes break the midribs of large leaves by biting them so the leaves fold up, forming tents. Females have a daytime roost and leave their young in crèches near the feeding tree during nightly feeding forays. The species is polygynous; males may defend harems of up to 25 females. Besides harems, this species also forms groups of bachelor males and of nonreproductive females. The harems often reside in tree hollows; the males and nonreproductive females often roost in solitary fashion or form small groups among foliage. It is suspected that owls may be nocturnal predators, and snakes and the bat falcon may be diurnal predators. The life span of one individual of this species was 7 years; that of another was 10 years.
