Pre-Weaning Mortality in a Florida Maternity Roost of Myotis austroriparius and Tadarida brasiliensis

The roost environment is a factor determining the survival and mortality rates in newborn bats. The authors compared mortality in two species of bats that shared a common roost but that differed in developmental strategies. The precocial species, Tadarida brasiliensis , appeared to exhibit less preweaning mortality than did the altricial species, Myotis austroriparius . Pre-weaning mortality in M. austroriparius was not pronounced shortly after birth.