The SONOZOTZ project: assembling an echolocation calls library for bats in a megadiverse country

Bat acoustic libraries are important tools that assemble echolocation
calls to allow the comparison and discrimination to confirm species
identifications.  The Sonozotz project represents the
first nation-wide library of bat echolocation calls for a megadiverse
country.  It was assembled following a standardized
recording protocol that aimed to cover different recording habitats,
recording techniques, and call variation inherent to
individuals.  The Sonozotz project included 69 species
of echolocating bats, a high species richness that represents 50% of bat
species found in the country.  We include
recommendations on how the database can be used and how the sampling
methods can be potentially replicated in countries with similar
environmental and geographic conditions.  To our
knowledge, this represents the most exhaustive effort to date to
document and compile the diversity of bat echolocation calls for a
megadiverse country.  This database will be useful to
address a range of ecological questions including the effects of
anthropogenic activities on bat communities through the analysis of bat
sound.