Abstract
Acoustic territorial displays are common among birds but comparatively rare among mammals. An exceptionally vocal mammal well-known for its elaborate territorial displays is the polygynous greater sac-winged bat, Saccopteryx bilineata. Male S. bilineata are often philopatric and establish small territories in their birth colony in which females can roost during the day. During territorial defense, males produce complex territorial songs that are learned through vocal imitation. Territorial songs are mainly produced at dawn and dusk. We studied social influences on male vocal activity and the occurrence of vocal signatures in territorial songs of 27 male S. bilineata from 12 different-sized colonies in Panama. Males produced significantly more territorial songs when they had more territorial neighbors or when they had females roosting in their territories, indicating that male vocal activity rises with increasing male–male competition. Territorial songs are multisyllabic vocalizations with low-frequency buzz syllables being most prominent. We found statistical evidence for a pronounced individual signature encoded in the buzz syllables of territorial songs that could facilitate individual recognition among rival neighbors. Additionally, we found a vocal group signature in territorial songs, suggesting that young males may learn territorial songs from more than one tutor male. Resident male S. bilineata appear to cooperatively defend their colony against male intruders, making a group signature in territorial songs potentially advantageous.
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Acknowledgments
We are indebted to E. Kalko, M. Tschapka, and K.E. Linsenmair for their scientific advice and generous support. Valuable comments by M. Nagy and M. Metz substantially improved the manuscript. The Panamanian authorities and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute allocated both support and research permissions. The Biological Station BCI provided excellent logistics and technical support. This work was supported by a start-up grant from the University of Ulm, Germany (to M.K.).
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All field work were approved by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, adhered to the ASAB/ABS Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research, and were in compliance with the current laws of Panama and Germany.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Communicated by V. M. Janik
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Eckenweber, M., Knörnschild, M. Social influences on territorial signaling in male greater sac-winged bats. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67, 639–648 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1483-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1483-z