Cases of induced alloparental care in seba’s short-tailed fruit bat

Abstract

Alloparental care has been reported in over 120 mammalian species. Here, we describe the first observed cases of induced alloparental care in Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat (Ca-rollia perspicillata) at Macaregua cave (Santander, Colombia). As a part of a reproductive study, specimens of C. perspicillata were sampled between June and August 2015. During two separate occasions, we observed the willingness of lactating females to accept and carry abandoned pups, after we put a female and a non-parental pup together. Additional data is needed to confirm adoption capacity of Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat. This is the first observation of potentially cooperative behavior in this species.