Mexican Free-tailed Bat: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Creatures of the Night · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Mexican free-tailed bats are said to be the fastest of all animals in level flight, reaching up to 160 km/h.
2. The bats living in Austin, Texas, gobble up about 13.6 tonnes of insects every night.
3. Bracken Cave in Texas holds the largest known colony: nearly 20 million bats.
4. Their tail is nearly half their total length and sticks out past the wing skin, which is why they are called free-tailed.
5. Free-tailed bats can jam a rival's echolocation with ultrasonic calls, then try to grab the insect themselves.

The quiz

1. How fast have Mexican free-tailed bats been claimed to fly?

• Up to 48 km/h
• Up to 160 km/h (correct)
• Up to 80 km/h
• Up to 320 km/h

They are claimed to reach up to 160 km/h in level flight.

2. How much insect food does the Austin colony eat each night?

• About 13.6 tonnes (correct)
• About 136 kg
• About 1.4 tonnes
• About 1,360 tonnes

The Austin bats eat about 13.6 tonnes of insects a night.

3. How many bats live in the largest known colony?

• About 2 million
• Nearly 200,000
• Nearly 20 million (correct)
• About 1.5 million

Bracken Cave holds nearly 20 million bats.

4. How long are their tails compared with their total length?

• A tenth
• A quarter
• Three times longer than the body
• Almost half (correct)

Their tail makes up nearly half their total length.

5. How can one free-tailed bat beat a rival to an insect?

• By jamming its echolocation (correct)
• By flying faster
• By hunting in daylight
• By roosting closer

Jamming calls reduce a rival's chance of catching the insect.

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