Seasonal Ac i i y o Ba s a an Indiana Ca e
Russell E. Mum o d, Depa men o Fo es y and Conse a ion,
Pu due Uni e si y, La aye e, Indiana 47907
John 0. Whi ake , J ., Depa men o Li e Sciences,
Indiana S a e Uni e si y, Te e Hau e, Indiana 47809
Abs ac
The ac i i y o ba s a Donnehue's Ca e, Law ence Coun y, Indiana, was s udied
by ne ing he ca e en ance 20 imes a in e als om Augus 1970 o Augus 1971
and in Feb ua y 1973. Se en species o ba s we e ep esen ed in he 440 cap u ed;
Myo is luci ugus was aken in he g ea es numbe s, ollowed by Pipis ellus sub la us,
Ep escius uscus, Myo is aus o ipa ius, Myo is keenii, Lasiu us bo eals, and Myo is
sodalis, in ha o de . Da a we e ga he ed, by species, on nigh ly beha io pa e ns
and sex a ios.
In oduc ion
Seasonal ac i i y pa e ns o ca e-inhabi ing ba s o Indiana
ha e no been in ensi ely s udied, al hough Mum o d (1958) in es i-
ga ed apopula ion o Ep esicus uscus in Donnehue's Ca e (Law ence
Co.) o e an eigh -mon h pe iod. The e is conside able ba ac i i y a
some ca es especially in Augus and Sep embe , when la ge numbe s
o ba s can some imes be ne ed a ce ain ca e en ances a nigh .
Many o hese animals a e e iden ly ansien s, o ew can be ound
in he ca es on days ollowing ne ing and ew a e ecap u ed la e
in he season. This phenomenon o ba s ga he ing a ca e en ances,
called "swa ming" by some au ho s, equi es mo e s udy. I some imes
a o ds he esea che an oppo uni y o cap u e ela i ely la ge
numbe s o se e al species o ba s. Th ough ag an om he Indiana
Academy o Science, we conduc ed an in es iga ion o swa ming and
o he ac i i y a he mou h o Donnehue's Ca e om Augus 1970 o
Augus 1971 and ga he ed supplemen al da a in Feb ua y 1973.
Ou majo objec i es we e o de e mine seasonal and daily ba
ac i i y a he ca e a in e als h oughou he yea .
Ma e ials and Me hods
F om 26 Augus 1970 o 31 Augus 1971, and in Feb ua y 1973,
we ne ed ba s a he en ance o Donnehue's Ca e 20 imes (Table 1).
The ca e was isi ed in e e y mon h bu Janua y. On each isi a12-
me e mis ne was se ac oss he mou h o he ca e so ha mos ba s
en e ing o lea ing would be caugh . The ne was posi ioned well be o e
da k o de e mine he s a o he e ening ligh , and was gene ally
le in place o se e al hou s, usually un il ba ac i i y had slackened.
In he summe mon hs he ne was equen ly se un il a ound mid-
nigh ; in he colde mon hs i was emo ed a ound 9o 10 PM. I
would p obably ha e been bene icial o ha e le he ne in place all
nigh on each isi . We eco ded he ime ha mos ba s s uck he
ne and mos we e sexed when emo ed om he ne . When possible,
we no ed which ace o he ne he ba s uck; we hoped his would
500
Zoology 501
indica e whe he ba s we e en e ing1o lea ing he ca e when caugh .
Howe e , due o he milling o he ba s abou he ca e en ance and
since ba s would some imes a oid he ne , ou da a we e no eliable
o such an analysis. Cap u ed ba s we e summa ized by he numbe
cap u ed pe hou . We also abula ed ne ing imes wi h e e ence o
o icial sunse imes.
We ob ained empe a u e da a om he Bed o d wa e wo ks,
abou 1.5 miles om Donnehue's Ca e, o he nigh s on which we
ne ed. Un o una ely, his s a ion eco ded he empe a u e only once
pe day (a sundown) and he da a we e o minimal use o us. We
hank Cecil Hughes o making hese empe a u e eco ds a ailable
Law ence A. Schaal supplied us wi h daily maximum-minimum empe a-
u e da a o he Bed o d a ea on he days we ne ed he ca e. We
ended o pick he wa me nigh s o ou isi s, because we el mo e
ba s would be ac i e hen. Below- eezing empe a u es occu ed only
on 16 Ma ch, 16 Ap il, and 12 Feb ua y. Since he lowes daily empe a-
u e no mally occu s nea dawn, p obably a no ime du ing ou ne ing
ope a ions was he empe a u e below eezing. Thus, he ba s we e
no exposed o ex eme cold.
Mos ba s we e banded wi h Uni ed S a es Fish and Wildli e
Se ice bands and eleased soon a e cap u e, bu some we e eleased
unbanded and a ew o each species we e collec ed o ood and pa asi e
s udies (Whi ake and Mum o d, 1971).
The ollowing pe sons o en assis ed wi h ield wo k: Da id A.
Eas e la, Richa d C. Tuszynski, Ha mon P. Weeks, J . In addi ion,
Eas e la ne ed Donnehue's Ca e on he nigh o 23-24 Oc obe 1971
and supplied us wi h his no es. O he s who helped ga he da a we e
Douglas M. Knudson, D. Da id Pascal, J ., Richa d L. Powell, Jill
Redg a e, and Pe e Redg a e.
This is Jou nal Pape No. 5685 o he Pu due Uni e si y Ag i-
cul u al Expe imen S a ion.
Resul s
O he 440 ba s o se en species cap u ed (Table 1), he li le
b own myo is (Myo is luci ugus) was aken in he g ea es numbe s,
ollowed by he eas e n pipis elle (Pipis ellus sub la us) .The cap u e
o 7 ed ba s {Lasiu us bo ealis) is o in e es , o his is no aca e-
inhabi ing ba unde no mal condi ions. Wi h he excep ion o he
ed ba (p esumably amig a o y species), all ba s ne ed we e o ms
ha hibe na e in Indiana. We caugh ba s e e y ip bu 2, including
6o he 7 ips om No embe h ough Ma ch, when he ba s should
ha e been in hibe na ion. This is u he indica ion ha he e is a
good deal o win e mo emen among hibe na ing ba s in Indiana.
The g ea es numbe s o ba s aken pe hou we e in Augus
(15.8) Sep embe (10.4), and July (5.6). We had no e idence o a
sp ing ligh compa able o he all swa ming ligh , al hough he
ou h highes a e o cap u e (4.2 ba s pe hou ) was in May.
Obse a ions on he a ious species ollow.
502 Indiana Academy o Science
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Myo is luci ugus. This ba was aken a mo e o en han any
o he . The 191 cap u es occu ed in e e y mon h bu Janua y (no
isi s made), Feb ua y, and No embe , bu only one was aken in
Decembe , indica ing li le win e ac i i y.
None was aken be o e sunse , only 16 in he i s hou a e
sunse , and equal numbe s du ing each o he nex h ee hou s. Nine
we e caugh mo e han i e hou s a e sunse (Table 2). In Indiana
ew M. luci ugus a e collec ed by shoo ing a dusk—a ime when
Lasiu us bo ealis, Pipis ellus sub la us, and Ep esicus uscus a e
commonly sho . E iden ly mos M. luci ugus emain in hei day ime
oos s un il i is da k, o nea ly so.
Table 2. Numbe o ba s o selec ed species cap u ed pe hou , Donnehue's Ca e,
Indiana, 26 Aug. 1970 o 31 Aug. 1971.
Time and E o Myo is luci ugus Pipis ellus sub la us Ep esicus uscus
(in hou s) No. caugh No./Hou No. caugh No./Hou No. caugh No./Hou
Be o e Sunse 41.3
(3.1)
Sunse +30 minu es 71.0 10 1.4 10.1
(7.1)
31—60 minu es 91.0 12 1.4 5 0.6
(8.8)
61—90 minu es 23 2.3 60.6 10 1.0
(9.8)
91—120 minu es 26 2.8 91.0 60.6
(9.3)
121—150 minu es 22 2.8 91.1 11 1.4
(8.0)
151—180 minu es 18 2.7 14 2.1 30.5
(6.7)
181—210 minu es 20 3.6 17 3.0 8 1.5
(5.5)
211—240 minu es 17 4.0 18 4.2 51.2
(4.3)
241—270 minu es 18 5.0 22 6.0 30.9
(3.7)
271—300 minu es 93.3 12 4.4 31.1
(2.6)
301—330 minu es 96.0 3 2.0
(1.6)
We banded 85 male and 19 emale M. luci ugus in Augus and
Sep embe , 1970, bu ecap u ed (once each) only 6males and 3 emales
la e in ha season. This poin s up he ansien (o possibly e a ic)
na u e o he swa ming popula ion. Howe e , ha many o hem do
e u n o aspeci ic locali y om ime o ime was indica ed by ou
ecap u ing ou emales and i een males (nea ly 20 pe cen o
hose banded) a ala e da e. Th ee M. luci ugus banded 10 miles SE
o Donnehue's Ca e (a Tunnel on) and one banded a Donnehue's
Ca e by J. B. Cope we e ecap u ed by us. One was a emale banded
14 Augus 1958 a Tunnel on and ne ed 31 Augus 1971. Amale
banded 31 Augus 1960 a Donnehue's Ca e was ecap u ed 16 Sep-
embe 1970. The o he wo had been banded in 1969 and 1970.
Zoology 505
On 2Decembe 1970, we ne ed amale M. luci ugua as i was
lea ing he ca e, banded and eleased i ou side he ca e a 5:35 PM,
and ne ed i en e ing he ca e a 6:16 PM. The only o he ba s
ne ed ha nigh we e amale and emale Ep esicus uscus.
Pipis ellus sub la us. The second mos abundan species ne ed
was he pipis elle, o which we caugh 122 males, 17 emales and 4
o un eco ded sex. The i s we e aken in May, and only one was aken
a e Sep embe (in Oc obe ). E iden ly P. sub la us is no as ha dy
as P. hespe us, which O'Fa ell and B adley (1970) obse ed in U ah
lying abou ou side i s oos when he ai empe a u e was -8° C.
Pipis ellus sub la us eme ges ela i ely ea ly in he e ening, e-
quen ly being seen in ligh while he sky is s ill ai ly ligh . We
ne ed 4be o e sunse and 22 he i s hou a e sunse , bu many
(83) we e cap u ed be ween 2.5 and 5hou s a e sunse , 22 o hese
4 o 4.5 hou s a e . On 8o he 11 nigh s P. sub la us was ne ed, i
was he i s species o en e he ne s.
We banded 37 males and 6 emales. Fou males we e ecap u ed
once each 12 o 26 days a e banding. Fou o he males we e e-
cap u ed 8 o 12 mon hs la e .
Ep esicus uscus. The 57 big b own ba s cap u ed we e consid-
e ably less han we had expec ed. Du ing he win e o 1954-55, a
leas 109 E. uscus u ilized Donnehue's Ca e om Augus o Ap il
(Mum o d, 1958). Whe he p esen da a e lec a ue decline we do no
know, o we lack da a o de e mine no mal, annual popula ion luc ua-
ions o his species in win e qua e s. We cap u ed 38 males, 18
emales and 1o un eco ded sex. E. uscus was aken a he highes
cap u e a e (2 pe hou ) and in g ea es numbe s in Augus , bu
indi iduals we e aken in e e y mon h bu Ap il. Also, du ing Mum-
o d's s udy o his ca e no E. uscus was seen on 12, 17, 23, o 28
Ap il 1955. This is aha dy species, known o change hibe nacula
h oughou he win e (Mum o d, 1958: Mum o d and Wilson, un-
published). Six we e ne ed wi hin one hou a e sunse and only
one wi hin 30 minu es a e sunse ; 43 we e cap u ed be ween one and
ou hou s a e sunse . This species eme ges ela i ely ea ly, bu no as
ea ly as Pipis ellus sub la us. We ecap u ed only wo ba s o his
species, one emale se en mon hs a e banding and one male nine
mon hs a e banding.
Myo is aus o ipa ius. We caugh 23 o he 25 ne ed be ween 26
Augus and 18 No embe ; he o he s (males) we e caugh 11 May
and 4Feb ua y. Twel e we e emales. This species has been eco ded
egula ly om Donnehue's Ca e since 1954. We wished o de e mine i
he e was ama e ni y colony he e, bu we ne ed no M. aus o ipa ius
be ween 11 May and 31 Augus , indica ing ha no such colony was
p esen . The e is no b eeding eco d o his species in Indiana, al-
hough specimens ha e been aken each mon h o he yea . This ba
is a ela i ely la e lye . We ne ed none ea lie han an hou a e
sunse and some we e cap u ed up o 5.5 hou s a e sunse .
O 14 M. aus o ipa ius banded, 6we e ecap u ed. Amale
banded 26 Augus was ne ed 22 days la e . A emale banded 26 Augus
506 Indiana Academy o Science
was ne ed 30 Sep embe and 30 Oc obe he same season. Ano he
male banded 16 Sep embe was ecap u ed 14, 28, and 35 days la e .
Th ee o he s we e ecap u ed abou ayea a e banding. I seems
likely ha M. aus o ipa ius u ilizing Donnehue's Ca e in he all
a e less ansien han M. luci ugus he e.
Myo is keenii. We ne ed 15 males and 1 emale; none was caugh
om 30 Sep embe o 16 Ap il. The lone emale was ne ed 30 Sep-
embe . We caugh one M. keenii be o e sunse and nine wi hin he
i s wo hou s a e sunse . F om ou small sample, his species
would appea o be an ea ly lye .
Amale banded 8June was ecap u ed 14 July and 23 Oc obe he
same season. Ano he male banded 26 Augus was ne ed nine mon hs
la e .
Lasiu us bo ealis. The se en ed ba s (3 males) we e caugh in
July, Augus and Sep embe . This ee-li ing species is seldom ound
in Indiana ca es, al hough skulls and o he emains ha e been e-
po ed (Hahn, 1907; Mum o d, 1953). Why ed ba s can be ne ed a
ca e en ances (and some imes some dis ance Inside he ca e) in la e
summe and ea ly all is unknown.
Myo is sodalis. Amale was cap u ed on 9Augus 1971. M. sodalis
is qui e a e in Donnehue's Ca e, which has been s udied by one o us
(REM) since 1954.
Discussion
We hope la e o compa e species composi ion o ba s a a ious
ca e en ances and y o de e mine why some species ind pa icula
ca es so a ac i e and shun o he ca es which ( o us) appea simila .
Fo example, Augus and Sep embe ne ing a Ray's Ca e, G eene
Coun y, Indiana, esul ed in he aking o many mo e Myo is keenii
and Myo is sodalis han a Donnehue's Ca e.
We collec ed insec s inside he en ance o Donnehue's Ca e in
hopes o de e mining i ba s we e a ac ed o he ca e o eeding
pu poses. The e was no e idence om he s omach analyses o ba s
ha ba s we e eeding on insec s inside he ca e en ance, al hough
small numbe s o a ious insec s ook e uge he e. Also, we ha e no
de e mined whe he insec s a e mo e abundan jus ou side he ca e
en ance han in he su ounding woods. One migh explo e he possi-
bili y ha ba s and pe haps also insec s a e a ac ed o he ca e
en ance by he empe a u e g adien a o nea he ca e mou h o
by he cool ai issuing om he ca e in wa m wea he .
The e a e some p oblems inhe en in his esea ch. I is no
known how much al e a ion o beha io migh be caused by ou
dis u bance, especially ne ing a equen in e als. Pe haps many
ba s a oid he ne a e once being cap u ed. O , hey migh e en
a oid he si e o ape iod o ime. We eel ha nigh ly ne ing o
ca e en ances ollowed by daily checks h oughou he ca e o de-
e mine wha pe cen age o ba s handled he p e ious nigh u ilize he
ca e du ing he day ime would be ins uc i e. Ob iously, one should
pick he ca e ca e ully in o de o sample one whe e mos o all o he
Zoology 507
ba s en e ing and lea ing- could be caugh and whe e mos o all o he
ba s inside he ca e could be ound in he day ime. Also, ne s should be
le in place h oughou he nigh o mo e accu a ely de e mine
ac i i y pa e ns.
Li e a u e Ci ed
Hahn, W. L. 1907. The mammalian emains o he Donaldson Ca e. P oc. Ind. Acad.
Sci., 14:142-144.
Mum o d, R. E. 1953. Hoa y ba skull in an Indiana ca e. Jou nal o Mammalogy, 34:121.
Mum o d, R. E. 1958. Popula ion u no e in win e ing ba s in Indiana. Jou nal o
Mammology, 39:253-261.
O'Fa ell, M. J. and W. G. B adley. 1970. Ac i i y pa e ns o ba s o e adese
sp ing. Jou nal o Mammalogy, 51:18-26.
Whi ake , J. O., J . and R. E. Mum o d. 1971. No es on acollec ion o ba s aken
by mis -ne ing a an Indiana Ca e. Ame ican Midland Na u alis , 85 :277-279.
