title: Lunar phobia in the greater fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae).
abstract: The nightly activity patterns of Noctilio leporinus, a piscivorous neotropical bat, were documented by visual observation over one lunar cycle at a large dock in Golfito, Costa Rica. The activity patterns were compared to the intensity of the moonlight, and a strong correlation between darkness and activity was observed (n = 776, r2 = 0.96). This correlation has been observed in many species of mammals and may indicate adaptation by potential prey species to avoid predation by visually oriented nighttime predators and/or an adaptation by predators to maximize hunting success.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. karrigan_bork@email.com
authors.forename: Karrigan S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Börk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016081:Moon; D010698:Phobic Disorders; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*