Heterothermy and the Use of Torpor by the Bat Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): A Field Study

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Abstract
Radiotelemetry studies of free-living Eptesicus fuscus demonstrated that the occurrence of daily torpor was influenced by ambient temperature and varied with the reproductive state of the bat. Lactating females were torpid significantly less often than pregnant and nonpregnant bats. Although the bats had the potential for behavioral thermoregulation, there was evidence that they actively controlled entry into and arousal from torpor. For pregnant females, prolonged periods of torpor coincided with prolonged gestation.