Seasonal Changes in Food Consumption of Little Brown Bats Held in Captivity at A "Neutral" Temperature of 92° F

Abstract

Little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, were maintained on a diet of mealworms in captivity throughout most of one year at a neutral temperature of 92° F. An attempt was made to maintain constant body weights of bats within the normal range of those in nature. Under these conditions, seasonal and sex variations in food consumption were observed. Major differences in food consumption were thought to result from a shift in the zone of thermal neutrality and alterations in the female reproductive cycle. Food consumption and body weight in M. lucifugus appear to follow a seasonal cycle under constant laboratory conditions.