Batscans: Taphozous mauritianus
Despite their name, Mauritian Tomb Bats are actually known from
most of Africa South of the Sahara Desert. These bats prefer open
savannah and forest edge habitats in relatively moist areas. Females
usually live in groups of 3 to 30 individuals, and males are solitary
except for breeding season. Mauritian Tomb Bats are thought to
be moth specialists although they also eat butterflies and termites.
Prey is captured and consumed on the wing. Despite their name,
these bats do not roost in tombs, but instead spend the day under
the outer bark of trees or under overhanging vegetation.
The specimen of Taphozous mauritianus
shown here was collected in November of 1911 by the AMNH Lang-Chapin
Expedition in Avakubi, Congo. It is currently under study by Dr.
Nancy Simmons of the AMNH, who is including Taphozous mauritianus
in her studies of evolutionary relationships of bats. The CT scans
of this specimen will be used to study details of skeletal structure
and to collect data for phylogenetic analysis. Unlike traditional
museum preparations, CT scans allow scientists to see inside the
skull without damaging it, and to visualize the tiny, three-dimensional
bones of the wrists and ankles (which in bats are as small as
grains of sand). Studies of this and other CT scans of bat will
allow Dr. Simmons and her colleagues to view many structures for
the first time, and to use information on variation among species
to help resolve their evolutionary relationships.
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