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24 January 2016 Seed predation by the wrinkle-faced bat Centurio senex: a new case of this unusual feeding strategy in Chiroptera
David Villalobos-Chaves, Sergio Padilla-Alvárez, Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera
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Abstract

Complex animal–plant interactions are present in the Neotropical bat family Phyllostomidae. Many of these interactions are still unknown, mainly due to the paucity of information available on the diet and habits of these species. The wrinkle-faced bat, Centurio senex, has been always considered as an enigmatic species. However, emerging evidence has partially elucidated the feeding ecology of this bat, confirming adaptations to consume hard food items. In addition to this information, here we show evidence of the predation of the seeds of Sideroxylon capiri (Sapotaceae) by C. senex. Bats employed principally deep unilateral bites to process the seeds. Our observations show that endocarp hardness has important implications on the ecological interaction between C. senex and S. capiri, due to the bats inability to puncture seeds with harder endocarps, causing an alternation between predation and dispersal of seeds. Nutritional rewards could be related to the predatory behavior documented. However, additional information is needed to clarify seed predation and seed dispersal patterns that exist between the 2 species.

© 2016 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org
David Villalobos-Chaves, Sergio Padilla-Alvárez, and Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera "Seed predation by the wrinkle-faced bat Centurio senex: a new case of this unusual feeding strategy in Chiroptera," Journal of Mammalogy 97(3), 726-733, (24 January 2016). https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyv222
Received: 8 August 2015; Accepted: 29 December 2015; Published: 24 January 2016
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