Abstract:
Behavior and personality play a crucial role in the evolution and ecology of animal
species. We have limited knowledge of bat personality traits, partially due to the
time, equipment, and facilities needed to measure them. To help fill this gap, we
developed a scale for quantifying aggressiveness in bats that can be used during
ordinary fieldwork and handling by researchers. This scale is based on observations
of the following ecologically relevant and easily observed behaviors in wild-captured
bats during routine handling: amount and intensity of physical struggling, teethbaring,
and biting. We then applied this scale to 35 wild-caught individual bats
belonging to three different species or species groups (Chaerephon pumilus, n=29;
Scotophilus dinganii, n=3; and pipistrelloid bats, n=3) and measured agreement
between observers using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). We found that
agreement between observers was good to excellent. This scale of aggressiveness
provides an important, practical tool for researchers to reliably quantify this
personality trait in wild bats that requires no additional equipment and minimal
additional handling time. Collecting data on aggressive behavior during handling has
the potential to increase our understanding of both intra- and interspecific variation
in aggressiveness in bats, as well as the influence of this trait on many aspects of bat
ecology. Finally, collecting data using this scale can facilitate comparisons between
studies and promote research at broader spatial and temporal scales than commonly
used in behavioral ecology studies.
