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Vol. 49 No. 6, 2010
Postnatal Growth and Age Estimation in Horsfield’s Leaf-Nosed Bat Hipposideros larvatus
Ai-Qing Lin1,2, Long-Ru Jin1,2, Ying Liu1,2, Ke-Ping Sun1,2, and Jiang Feng1,2,*
1Key
Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National
Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal Univ., 5268 Renmin Road,
Changchun 130024, China
2Key Laboratory of
Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland
Science, Northeast Normal Univ., 5268 Renmin Road, Changchun 130024,
China
Ai-Qing Lin, Long-Ru Jin, Ying Liu, Ke-Ping Sun, and Jiang Feng (2010)
Postnatal growth and age estimation in Horsfield’s leaf-nosed bat
Hipposideros larvatus. Zoological Studies 49(6): 789-796. Patterns of
postnatal growth and development in the length of the forearm, body
mass, and length of the total gap of the 4th metacarpal-phalangeal
joint of Hipposideros larvatus
were studied under natural conditions in southwestern China. Based on
these data, we developed empirical growth curves, derived growth rates,
and established age-predictive equations and 3 nonlinear growth models.
The length of the forearm and body mass followed linear patterns of
growth until day 16 with respective growth rates of 1.66 mm/d and 0.40
g/d, and subsequently decreased to a stable level. The length of the
total epiphyseal gap increased up to 12 d and then linearly decreased.
Some young bats could take flight with 89.32% of the forearm length and
only 62.13% of the body mass of adults by day 20. Two linear regression
equations for age estimation were derived from the forearm length and
the length of the total epiphyseal gap for 1-32 d. Growth patterns of
the forearm length and body mass were both best described by logistic
nonlinear growth models. The growth rate of Hipposideros larvatus was greater than that of many tropical bat species.
Key words: Postnatal growth, Hipposideros larvatus, Age estimation, Body mass.
*Correspondence: Fax: 86-431-85098097. E-mail:fengj@nenu.edu.cn
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