BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM


behavior and prey selection are well documented in agricultural areas
where domestic livestock is the food source (Turner 1975), nothing is
known about prey selection of vampires in areas where only wild
animals are potential hosts.
 VERTICAL STRATIFICATION.-Where domestic animals are the
 source of food, vampires usually fly within 3 m of ground level (Bonac-
 corso, unpubl. data). It is possible that vampires more commonly fly at
 the canopy level in forest where no livestock is available, but where ar-
 boreal species (e.g. monkeys and birds) may provide sources of blood.
 On BCI two vampires were captured in subcanopy nets and one in a
 ground net.
 HABITAT SELECTION.-Vampires were clearly more abundant on
Buena Vista Peninsula than on BCI. Desmodus was the fourth most
abundant species in the Buena Vista second growth (7.9% of total cap-
tures), whereas on BCI Desmodus was one of the least common species
(0.2% total captures; see Fig. 4). Horses, cattle, pigs, and fowl on scat-
tered farms in the Buena Vista-Frijoles area provide a dependable and
abundant food source that "los vampires" constantly parasitize (Fulo
Sanchez, pers. comm.).

 50 -

 45

 S40
 U
 S35-
 V,

 0 30 Phyllostomus discolor N=58


 25
 0
 < -

 o 20



 L- 10




 0-


4 6 8
HOURS AFTER SUNSET


10 12


FIGURE 9.-Frequency of capture through the night as a measure of flight activity for
Phyllostomus discolor.


Vol. 24, No. 4