Maternity colony

A maternity colony refers to a temporary association of reproductive female bats for giving birth to, nursing, and weaning their pups. The colonies are initiated by pregnant bats. After giving birth, the colony consists of the lactating females and their offspring. After weaning, juveniles will leave the maternity colony, and the colony itself will break apart. The size of a maternity colony is highly variable by species, with some species forming colonies consisting of ten or fewer individuals, while the largest maternity colony in the world in Bracken Cave is estimated to have over 15 million bats.

Townsend's big-eared bats exiting a maternity colony in a mine

Benefits of a maternity colony

Maternity colonies are especially prevalent in temperate regions due to the thermal benefits of roosting with other individuals.[1] Outside of the winter months, non-reproductive females and male bats enter torpor for short periods to conserve energy when temperatures are below an optimum threshold. However, torpor is detrimental to reproductive females because it delays the development of the fetus and slows milk production.[1] Therefore, female bats are highly incentivized to maintain a constant body temperature. Roosting in a large group allows females to share body heat, lowering the energetic costs for individuals.

Risks of a maternity colony

Roosting in large groups brings risks to the members of a maternity colony. Predators such as hawks and owls can learn to anticipate the emergence of bats from a specific roost at sunset.[2] Smaller colonies are thought to be less risky than larger colonies, because the nightly emergence of bats would attract less attention.[3]

Species that form maternity colonies
Incomplete list
Common nameScientific nameRangeMaternity colony size
Family: Vespertilionidae
Little brown batMyotis lucifugusU.S., Canada107-349[4]
Southeastern myotisMyotis austroripariusSoutheastern U.S.1000+[5]
Fringed myotisMyotis thysanodesCanada, Western U.S., Mexico40-200[6]
Indiana batMyotis sodalisMidwestern U.S.30-300[7][8]
Northern long-eared batMyotis septentrionalisEastern U.S., Canada11-65[9]
Bechstein's batMyotis bechsteiniiEurope, Asia15-40[10]
Geoffroy's batMyotis emarginatusEurope<10-985[11]
Gray batMyotis grisescensSoutheastern U.S.100,000+[12]
Hodgson's batMyotis formosusAsia82-200[13]
Eastern small-footed batMyotis leibiiEastern U.S., Canada≤22[14]
Greater mouse-eared batMyotis myotisEurope50-800[15]
Cave myotisMyotis veliferSouthwest U.S., Mexico100-3,000[16]
Yuma myotisMyotis yumanensisWestern U.S.100-1,000 [16]
Arizona myotisMyotis occultusSouthwestern U.S.67[17]
Daubenton's batMyotis daubentoniiEurope, Asia6-144[18]
Long-eared myotisMyotis evotisCanada, Western U.S.4[19]
Tricolored batPerimyotis subflavusEastern U.S.9-40[20][21]
Big brown batEptesicus fuscusNorth America, Central America, the Caribbean20-100[22]
Serotine batEptesicus serotinusEurope, Asia5-200[23]
Northern batEptesicus nilsoniiEurope, Asia10-70[24]
Silver-haired batLasionycteris noctivagansBermuda, Canada, Mexico, U.S.8[25]
Townsend's big-eared batCorynorhinus townsendiiCanada, Mexico, U.S.40-55[26]
Virginia big-eared batCorynorhinus townsendii virginianusAppalachian U.S.100-6335[27]
Ozark big-eared batCorynorhinus townsendii ingensAR, OK, MO55-309[28]
Rafinesque's big-eared batCorynorhinus rafinesquiiSoutheastern U.S.≤118[29]
Common noctuleNyctalus noctulaEurope, Asia, North Africa20-50[30]
Common pipistrellePipistrellus pipistrellusEurope, North Africa, Asia92-262[31]
Nathusius's pipistrellePipistrellus nathusiiEurope5-150[32]
Evening batNycticeius humeralisEastern U.S.≤492[33]
Gould's wattled batChalinolobus gouldiiAustralia20-30[34]
Southern forest batVespadelus regulusAustralia<25[35]
Lesser long-eared batNyctophilus geoffroyiAustralia3-23 [35]
Pallid batAntrozous pallidusCanada, Western U.S., Mexico10-150[16]
BarbastelleBarbastella barbastellusEurope10[36]
Allen's big-eared batPlecotus phyllotisSouthwestern U.S., Mexico18-97[37]
Family: Rhinolophidae
Mehely's horseshoe batRhinolophus mehelyiEurope, Middle East<60[38]
Lesser horseshoe batRhinolophus hipposiderosEurope2-245[39]
Rufous horseshoe batRhinolophus rouxiiAsia, Southeast Asia50-60[40]
Family: Molossidae
Mexican free-tailed batTadarida brasiliensisU.S., Central America, South America≤15 million[41]
Big free-tailed batNyctinomops macrotisNorth America, Central America, South America≤2,000[42]
Family: Phyllostomatidae
Geoffroy's tailless batAnoura geoffroyiCentral America, South America<150[43]
Family:Miniopteridae
Common bent-wing batMiniopterus schreibersiiEurope, Asia, Australia2,500-5,000[44]
Family: Pteripodidae
Bornean large flying foxPteropus vampyrusBorneo<15,000[45]

References
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