Using sutures to attach miniature tracking tags to small bats for multimonth movement and behavioral studies

Ecology and Evolution

Kevin T. Castle⁴  Theodore J. Weller¹  Paul M. Cryan³  Cris D. Hein² 

[1] Pacific Southwest Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Arcata, California;Bat Conservation International, Austin, Texas;Fort Collins Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado;Wildlife Veterinary Consulting, Fort Collins, Colorado

关键词: Data logger;    Eptesicus fuscus;    geolocator;    GPS tracking;    Lasiurus cinereus;    migration;    movement ecology;    satellite tracking;    telemetry;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ece3.1584

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Summary

Determining the detailed movements of individual animals often requires them to carry tracking devices, but tracking broad-scale movement of small bats (<30 g) has been limited by transmitter technology and long-term attachment methods. This limitation inhibits our understanding of bat dispersal and migration, particularly in the context of emerging conservation issues such as fatalities at wind turbines and diseases. We tested a novel method of attaching lightweight global positioning system (GPS) tags and geolocating data loggers to small bats. We used monofilament, synthetic, absorbable sutures to secure GPS tags and data loggers to the skin of anesthetized big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Colorado and hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) in California. GPS tags and data loggers were sutured to 17 bats in this study. Three tagged bats were recaptured 7 months after initial deployment, with tags still attached; none of these bats showed ill effects from the tag. No severe injuries were apparent upon recapture of 6 additional bats that carried tags up to 26 days after attachment; however, one of the bats exhibited skin chafing. Use of absorbable sutures to affix small tracking devices seems to be a safe, effective method for studying movements of bats over multiple months, although additional testing is warranted. This new attachment method has the potential to quickly advance our understanding of small bats, particularly as more sophisticated miniature tracking devices (e.g., satellite tags) become available.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.