Microsatellite genotypes of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus: Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) obtained from their feces

Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were genotyped from their feces using three sets of microsatellite primers. Genotypes obtained from bat fecal DNA consistently matched the genotypes obtained from DNA extracted from wing membrane tissue of the same bat. Identical microsatellite genotypes were also obtained from multiple fecal DNA samples from the same bat. DNA obtained from feces using a modification to the DNeasy tissue kit (Qiagen) amplified from 92% (83/90) of the samples upon the first PCR. The use of fecal DNA provides opportunities for addressing ecological and behavioral questions for animals that are difficult to capture, rare, or endangered.