Pekapeka
The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) is a small omnivorous species of bat. It is one of two extant and three overall mammal species unique to New Zealand. Lesser short-tailed bats have unique adaptations that differentiate them from bats found in other parts of the world. For example, they are fully capable of moving along the ground to search for food, and the males sing to attract partners, taking turns to do so.
No
NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
Om
OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Vi
ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Bu
BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
To
TorporTorpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables...
Ar
ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Po
PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
Co
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
Hi
Highly socialHighly social animals are those which are highly interactive with other members of their species. They live in large groups, nest in colonies, and ...
No
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
N
starts withLesser short-tailed bats appear similar to their microbat relatives. They have relatively large ears compared to their head and body sizes, which face forward to assist with echolocation. Lesser short-tailed bats also have relatively large nostrils that face outwards, allowing these animals to use olfaction to guide their movements. Their eyes are small and their vision is relatively weak, justifying their reliance on sound and olfactory senses. Their wings are relatively smaller than those of other bat species. Because of this, they have reduced agility, and cannot fly as fast. Despite this, they are still very capable of flight; just less so than other bat species. Each bat is covered in a layer of thick fur that ranges in colour from light brown to dark brown. The underbelly is typically a lighter colour than the rest of the body. At the posterior end of their bodies are short yet strong hindlegs, useful in their terrestrial locomotion. The relatively short stubby tails are what give this species its common name. At the top centre of each forelimb, the thumb extends outwards. This, as well as their toes, are equipped with nails referred to as basal talons. Having distinct talons further enables movement along the ground, and are useful when climbing trees.
Lesser short-tailed bats have been found in a few populations dispersed around the country. There are a few key populations currently known. There is one on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu), one near the top of the North Island, seven in the central area of the North Island, and one on the southeastern side of the North Island. There are at least two on the mainland of the South Island; and one on Codfish Island further south. These bats can live at a wide range of altitudes, from sea level to high up among forest-covered mountains. They prefer to live in untouched forest settings but may also occur in farmlands and shrubland.
Lesser short-tailed bats form fission-fusion societies. This means populations will congregate at certain times, separate, and recongregate later. Where these animals group together are known as roosts. For roosting, they prefer to find trees with large internal cavities, where they create their ‘home’. A roosting site will contain multiple trees within the same general vicinity. The number of individuals present at a roosting site varies greatly, with some colonies consisting of hundreds or thousands of individual bats. Lesser short-tailed bats are active late in the veining. They forage both in the air and on the ground. Their ability to forage on the ground is unusual for a bat species. Like other bats, in the air, they catch food by using echolocation to detect the location of prey. When foraging on the ground, these bats move around on their limbs, sourcing prey by using olfaction. Lesser short-tailed bats emit sounds in the range of 20-40 kHz. Each call lasts between 7 and 9 milliseconds.
These bats are omnivores. Their diet consists of insects, other small invertebrates, fruit, and flower parts. In general, they prefer to consume insects when possible. Their diet also includes nectar and pollen, the latter of which is believed to provide them with protein.
The mating season for New Zealand lesser short-tailed bats usually takes place during autumn (March-May in New Zealand). Males attempt to attract a mate during the spring and summer months before mating begins. The males attract mates at night by using vocal calls. They will sing from one of the roosting trees within the colony for several minutes. Multiple males will aggregate at this same roost, taking turns singing. This behavior is classified as a lek breeding system in which males signal to potential females in the hopes they will be impressed and mate with the male. Lek breeding is how the male bats ‘prove their worth’. Males have been observed to mate with multiple different females. Each female gives birth to a single pup in the summer (December-February in New Zealand). During this summer birthing period, the dispersed individuals will regroup, forming a large colony. Pups will feed first on milk produced by their mothers. They become active within a day of being born. For the first two days, they are hairless, with underdeveloped teeth, wings, and ears. The pups are raised in special sections of the colony's roosting site dedicated to maternal activities. Other female bats will group at these maternal roosts and aid in the rearing of pups. The pups are capable of flying within roughly 4 weeks. Around 6 weeks after birth, they leave the maternity roosts they were raised in, and a few months later they reach their adult body size.
The introduction of mammalian predators greatly influenced the species’ numbers. Since the colonisation of New Zealand and the introduction of three key rat species the endemic bat populations have experienced a reduction in numbers. Before mammalian predators colonized New Zealand, the lesser short-tailed bat was preyed on by predatory birds, such as the Laughing owl. Another common predator of these bats are common house cats, which will catch the bats as they fly out of their roosting sites. The bat roosts are very vulnerable, as they contain more potential prey within a single area. If these roosts were found by a predator, they could experience mass mortality events; in one incident, 102 lesser short-tailed bat deaths were caused by a single house cat in central North Island. Another cause for their decline is the increased use of the land for anthropogenic activities, such as logging and agriculture. These activities can often result in negative consequences for the local ecosystem, such as forest fragmentation. For native animals in New Zealand, fragmentation poses threats such as reduced genetic diversity.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Lesser short-tailed bats are important pollinators within New Zealand through their consumption of flowers (either by ingestion or secondarily through their prey). Researchers found that these bats will carry large quantities of pollen from a select few plant species, such as Collospermum microspermum and Dactylanthus taylorii (the Wood rose). Ensuring the conservation of the lesser short-tailed bats may also ensure the conservation of the plant species they pollinate.
