Roosting requirements and behaviour of five bat species at De Hoop Guano Cave, southern Cape Province of South Africa

Abstract

The roosting requirements and behaviour of five obligatory cave-dwelling bats occurring in the De Hoop Guano Cave, is reported. A measure of interspecific temporal and spatial partitioning of this resource is demonstrable. The cave is characterized by structural and thermal complexity, and was found to be an important breeding site for two species during summer, whereas it served as winter residence for the other three. M. schreibersii was by far the most abundant species, and predominated in the warmest sections of the cave, where it further modified temperatures towards optimal levels.