Cuban Flower Bat Found in Key West

The Florida Bat Center has been working over the past few years to determine whether or not there is a sustainable population of fruit bats in the lower Florida Keys. Sightings and findings, the first of which occurred in 1872, provided tantalizing evidence supporting this possibility. But the question is, “Are these bats simply isolated individuals that have ended up in the lower keys by accident or is there actually a sustainable population of frugivorous bats in the Florida Keys?” So far, with the exception of this question, all of the bats of Florida, and the Eastern United States for that matter, are insectivorous.

Originally our search was focused on determining whether or not the Jamaican fruit bat, Artibeus Jamaicensis was living in the Florida Keys. Two Jamaican fruit bats had been received by Wildlife Rescue of the Florida Keys in the mid 1990’s. Unfortunately, they were in a debilitated condition and did not survive. The Jamaican fruit bat is larger than most of our bats in Florida and has a leaf-like formation on the tip of its nose. It is a member of the Phyllostomid family of bats frequently referred to as “leaf-nosed bats.” It feeds primarily on figs from the genus Ficus, but also feeds on other tropical fruits and occasionally pollen, nectar, and insects.

In 2001 we circulated a flyer in Key West asking anyone who had spotted what they feel might be a fruit bat or seen evidence of fruit bat activity to notify us. We also began researching all of the past findings and discovered that a photograph taken by Page Brown in 1982 of a bat in the East Martello Tower had been very controversial as to the identification of the species. Some bat experts had identified it as a Jamaican fruit bat and others had disagreed. We also did not believe it was a photo of a Jamaican fruit bat, but of a different leaf-nosed bat, more likely a nectar-feeding species.

As a result of the 2001 flyer, documentation of several sightings were received. One of particular interest was a photograph taken by Chuck Oshaben of a bat in a building on Elliott Key. The bat was later identified from the photo as most likely being Erophylla sezekorni, a Phyllostomid bat commonly called the buffy flower bat. A specimen had previously been found washed up on a beach in the Marquesas just west of Key West by Elaine Wilmers but had been discounted as an accidental. The buffy flower bat, like the Jamaican fruit bat, has a leaf-nose and is found throughout much of the Caribbean. Although primarily a nectar-feeding bat, it also feeds on fruits, pollen and insects. Consequently we expanded our search to include the possibility of finding nectar-feeding species.

In November 2002 we renewed our quest by searching out the fruiting and flowering trees in Key West and Stock Island. We spent the days locating potential feeding sites and the evenings observing them visually and with bat sonar detecting equipment. Then in the middle of our search, Fran Ford contacted us and said she had received a bat that had been found dead the day before on Stock Island. To our surprise, it was a Cuban flower bat (Phyllonycteris poeyi), the first specimen found in the Florida Keys! Since then on a return trip to present bat educational programs in a local elementary school we were informed that a teacher at the school had a bat preserved in alcohol that had been brought in by a student. We examined and measured the specimen and discovered that it too was Phyllonycteris poeyi. These findings provide strong evidence that a population of one or more of these species may be living in the Florida Keys. We will continue our quest to solve this puzzle and establish whether or not the Florida Keys can boast of being the year round, or possibly migratory home, to one of these very special bats.

Our thanks to Fran Ford for all of her help and to Pat Rogers for answering our botanical questions and showing us the locations of fruiting and flowering plants in Key West. A special thanks to the many others who have helped us so far in this quest.

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