Social Behavior in the Leaf-Nosed Bat,Carollia perspicillata

Social and behavioral interactions as well as individual roosting positions were followed in a colony of Carollia perspicillata under seminaturalistic captive conditions. Nearest neighbor and grid analyses were used to define the composition of basic social units and mapping data permitted an analysis of the compositional stability of these units. Correlations between female reproductive cycles and individual roosting patterns provided insight into the function of Carollia social groups and indicate that optimal strategies to enhance reproductive success are probably being used.