Photo Credit: Rachel Shively
Brazilian free-tailed bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
Call characteristics:
High frequency caller (~25 kHz range)
Body Length
3 - 4 in
(7.9 – 9.8 cm)
Weight
1/4 - 1/5 oz
(7 - 12 g)
Brazilian free-tailed bats are named for the long tails that extend beyond their uropatagium (membrane surrounding the tail). Like other species of the family Molossidae, Brazilian free-tailed bats have distinctive large, rounded ears that form a semicircle around the face and nearly meet on the forehead. They are a fast flying bat and have been clocked at speeds up to 60 mph. This species is know for its extremely large colonies; the largest, Bracken Cave, is home to more than 15 million individuals. Brazilian free-tailed bats commonly roost in caves, bridges, and buildings. They are generalist feeders, preying on moths, beetles, flies, and insects in the order Hemiptera. Females typically give birth to a single pup each summer. The average lifespan of Brazilian free-tailed bats is 8 years.
Conservation Status
Photo Credit: Jordi Segers
Status
&
Trends
NABat utilizes monitoring data provided by a broad network of partners to support regional and range-wide inferences about changes in the distributions and abundances of bat populations facing current and emerging threats.
Information used to populate this page was obtained from the following sources:
United States Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Conservation Online System
Bat Conservation International Bat Profiles
National Atlas of the United States. (2011). North American Bat Ranges, 1830-2008. National Atlas of the United States. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/pz329xp4277.
Taylor, M. 2019. Bats: an illustrated guide to all species. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.