Reproduction
Short-tailed bats are lek breeders, with males occupying individual mating roosts during the breeding season and using repetitive ultrasonic calls to attract females. The males also mark the entrances to their mating roosts with an oily secretion produced in scent glands on the throat; the oil has a musky odour, and may help to attract the females. Mating most commonly takes place between February and May.
After mating, the embryo enters a state of delayed implantation through the winter, so a single young is born in the summer. Newborn bats are hairless, but otherwise well-developed, and weigh just 5 g (0.18 oz). The permanent teeth erupt at three weeks, and the young are fully furred and able to fly by four weeks of age. They leave the maternal roost at six weeks, and grow rapidly; they are fully grown within three months.
Read more about this topic: New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat
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