Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
They are among the fastest mammals on Earth, capable of reaching horizontal flight speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) using tailwinds.
- Scientific name
- Tadarida brasiliensis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Chiroptera › Molossidae › Tadarida
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- cave
- Habitat
- Caves, abandoned mines, tunnels, bridges, and urban buildings.
- Diet
- Insectivorous, feeding heavily on moths, beetles, flying ants, and mosquitoes.
- Range
- North America, Central America, South America
- Size
- Wingspan of 28-35 cm (11-14 in); weight of 7-12 g (0.25-0.42 oz).
- Lifespan
- Up to 18 years in the wild.
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Roost disturbance, habitat loss, pesticide poisoning from agricultural runoff, and collisions with wind turbines.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly beneficial aerial insectivores, but defensive if handled. Never touch a bat with bare hands due to the risk of rabies transmission. If you find a bat on the ground, keep children and pets away, and contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. If bitten, scratched, or in direct contact with saliva, wash the area immediately with soap and water and seek urgent medical evaluation.
The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat ( Tadarida brasiliensis ) is a medium-sized bat native to the Americas, regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America. Its proclivity towards roosting in huge numbers at relatively few locations makes it vulnerable to habitat destruction in spite of its abundance. It has been claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed (as opposed to stoop diving speed) of any animal, reaching top ground speeds over 100 mph
Photo: Bureau of Land Management, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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