Mammals of the WorldEuropean Free-tailed Bat
Tadarida teniotis
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Molossidae
- Genus
- Tadarida
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Canary Islands|Morocco|Algeria|Tunisia|Libya|Egypt|Portugal|Spain|France|Switzerland|Italy|Malta|Croatia|Bosnia and Herzegovina|Montenegro|Serbia|Kosovo|Albania|North Macedonia|Bulgaria|Greece|Turkey|Cyprus|Syria|Lebanon|Israel|Palestine|Jordan|Saudi Arabia|Russia|Georgia|Armenia|Azerbaijan|Iran|Turkmenistan|Uzbekistan|Kazakhstan|Kyrgyzstan|Tajikistan|Afghanistan|India?|Bhutan|Myanmar|China?
- Realm
- Palearctic|Indomalaya
About this species
- Size
- Head and body about 89mm; tail about 51mm
- Weight
- 28–57g
- Diet
- Insects caught in flight
- Habitat
- Cliff crevices, rocky gorges, tall buildings and bridges; sea level to about 3,100m
- Range
- Mediterranean Europe and scattered locations across Asia
- Litter size
- 1 young
- Gestation
- About 80 days
The European free-tailed bat, also called the bulldog or mastiff bat for the wrinkling on its snout, is a large free-tailed bat. The ears are large and broad with a very small tragus, and the tail is fleshy and robust, its rear third free of membranes. The fur is short and even, greyish black with a brownish shine above and paler below, and the ears and membranes are black. Head and body length is about 89 mm, the tail about 51 mm and the weight 28–57 g (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is found in the Mediterranean region of Europe and in scattered locations across Asia, at altitudes from sea level to about 3,100 m. It roosts by day in crevices in cliffs, rocky gorges, holes in tall buildings and under bridges, and feeds on insects caught in flight. Females gather in small groups to breed, with a single young after about 80 days. The cached account gives nothing specific to India (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)