Tadarida Brasiliensis - Blog Posts

Mexican Free-tailed bat, via

Neither did I! It's in the OP's last fact sheet; Tadarida brasiliensis (TABR) is the scientific name for the Mexican free-tailed bat. Or, rather, the Brazilian free-tailed bat, of which the Mexican freetail is a regional subspecies thereof (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana).

Fun fact! TABR are the fastest flying animals, clocking in with a level flight speed of almost 100mi/h - or roughly 160km/h. While the peregrine falcon is capable of sustaining higher velocities, that is in a dive and thus gravity-assisted - not sustained level flight. (and if some fellows might want to banter on about that somehow counting against the Molossidae, well... an individual has the option to reference STS-119.)

They also smell like corn chips / tacos. No, that's not a joke. https://batworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/free-tails-smell-like-tacos.pdf

A zine i made for my art class talking about bats and all the facts i know about them!

aw, nice, thanks for the bat friend!

Also, to add to the cool bat facts listed above... https://batworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/free-tails-smell-like-tacos.pdf

May I humbly request a bat friend?

Happy Bat Week!

Your bat is the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)!

Oh gosh. This bat, man. One of the most agriculturally important species in the U.S. These guys live in MASSIVE colonies in the southern U.S.; there are 1.5 million living under Congress Ave Bridge in Austin, Texas and another 20 million (YEAH. TWENTY MILLION HOLY CRAP.) living in Bracken Cave, which is considered to be the largest colony of bats of any species living anywhere in the world. BONKERS. Not only do these bats live in huge colonies, but they are also the fastest flying animals, clocking in at just under 100mph (hawks only reach the speeds they do by diving; these bats reach 100mph USING ACTUAL MECHANICAL FLIGHT. DO YOU REALIZE HOW BONKERS THAT IS?????). During birthing season, mothers will leave their massive roosts to go hunt insects. They will fly up to 50km away to hunt. When they return, they are able to find their pups in a crowd of literal millions by the sounds of their voices. Do you know what a huge colony in a cave also means? Guano. Lots of it. And you know what guano means? High levels of ammonia. In a cave. The levels are so high that you physically cannot enter Bracken Cave without a respirator. So how do the bats survive? WELL. They have evolved to be able to change the amounts of CO2 in their blood via respiratory mucous to protect against blood pH changes. AND!!!!!!!!! THEY KNOW HOW TO VENTILATE THEIR CAVES. They fly in a circular motion as they leave and enter the cave to move the air and ventilate out some of the ammonia.