ORIGINAL PAPERS

Investigation into the PAE ethogram, breeding behaviors and activity rhythm of cave-dwelling Hipposideros armiger

  • Jinmei LI ,
  • Tao WU ,
  • Enze TANG ,
  • Jinping LIAO ,
  • Gefei ZHANG ,
  • Zhixiao LIU
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  • College of Life Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China

Received date: 2025-01-25

  Accepted date: 2025-04-21

  Online published: 2026-06-04

Abstract

Karstic cave is a special ecosystem in which cave-dwelling bats play the role of ‘umbrella protection’. Hipposideros armiger is the dominant insectivorous bat in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and the Wuling Mountain region. It plays an indispensable role in maintaining the balance of cave ecosystems. The goal of this study was to establish the behavioral ethogram and to explore ecological characteristics of breeding behaviors and daily activity rhythm of Hipposideros armiger. From April to September 2023, we selected the population of Hipposideros armiger in the Baihu Cave, Jishou City, Xiangxi Prefecture as the research object. Modern monitoring technology system was used to collect behavioral data for analysis. Based on the Posture-Act-Environment (PAE) coding system, the behavior of Hipposideros armiger could be classified into 10 basic types, covering 12 basic postures, 41 movements, 13 environments, and 51 behaviors. Among them, the breeding behaviors included birthing behavior, flight-teaching behavior, cub-licking behavior, cub-carrying behavior, and mother-seeking behavior, which only appeared from June to early August. In the time allocation of all kinds of behaviors, the proportion of resting behavior was always the largest, and the overall trend was first decreasing and then increasing. The proportion of resting behavior was the lowest in the first half of August (27.11%), but reached the highest in June (42.69%) and September (42.52%). Hipposideros armiger predominantly showed resting and breeding behaviors in the cave. Their patterns of cave entry and exit were characterized by two distinct scenarios: ‘remaining outside throughout the night’and‘emerging at night and returning in the morning’. Over the course of the months and seasons, the time of bat entry into the cave in the early morning exhibited a gradual delay, shifting from 05: 00 in May to 06: 00 in September. Conversely, the time of bat exit from the cave in the evening showed a collective advancement, shifting from 19: 45 in May to 18: 25 in September. In conclusion, the activities of cave entry and exit in H. armiger display a notable monthly regularity, while also exhibiting a degree of plasticity.

Cite this article

Jinmei LI , Tao WU , Enze TANG , Jinping LIAO , Gefei ZHANG , Zhixiao LIU . Investigation into the PAE ethogram, breeding behaviors and activity rhythm of cave-dwelling Hipposideros armiger[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2026 , 46(3) : 404 -419 . DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.151061

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