Interspecific Aggression Between a Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and a Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) in Northern Arkansas

Mitch Wine¹, Carey A. Bowen², and Dana M. Green^3,*

¹Grotto Springs Ranch L.L.C., 101 Newnata Cutoff, Mountain View, AR 72560. ²USDA Forest Service, Sylamore District, 1001 E. Main Street, Mountain View, AR 72560. ³Department of Biology, Laboratory Building LB109, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 18, Issue 4 (2019): N37–N40

Abstract
We observed interspecific aggression between a Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and a Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) along the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas in September 2016. The Hoary Bat presumably captured the Tricolored Bat and repeatedly bit its forearm and facial tissues while on the ground. The Tricolored Bat did not survive the encounter. Interspecific aggression has been observed in Hoary Bats previously and has occasionally been linked to rabies infection. Because of the circumstantial nature of our observation, we were unable to draw specific conclusions as to the nature of this behavior.

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