Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
(Tadarida brasiliensis)
The Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis, is also referred to as the Brazilian free-tailed bat. They are one of the most studied and well understood of all of the bat species in the world. Their range spreads from the southern United States and stretches all the way to northern South America. It is a complicated species because there are some populations that migrate from their northern ranges to the south and there are others that do not migrate.
They are a small species of bat whose body and head will reach lengths of about 4 inches and the tail will be about an inch and a half long. They are a dull brown with a unique, mouse-like tail. They are also a strong bat that is actually a good climber. Free-tailed bats are known to feed on mainly moths, but will also eat flying ants, beetles, and leafhoppers as well.
They also differ from other species in the way that they reproduce. Many species practice what is known as delayed fertilization where they mate in the fall and their eggs are fertilized in the spring. The Mexican free-tailed bat mate in March and they give birth to a single pup in June or early July.