White-striped Freetail Bat
Scientific name: Austronomus australis
Click to enlarge image
White-striped Freetail bat, Austronomus australis.
Image: Michael Pennay
© CC BY NC
© CC BY NC
Fast Facts
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Classification
- Genus
- Austronomus
- Species
- australis
- Family
- Molossidae
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Subclass
- Eutheria
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
Introduction
The White-striped Freetail Bat is the largest of all the free-tail bats and is one of the few microbats with echolocation calls that can be heard by humans. They are known as freetail bats because part of their bony tail extends beyond the tail membrane.
Habitat
White-striped Freetail Bats roost in hollows in old trees and under loose bark, in dead stumps and the ceilings of buildings. Up to several hundred bats live together in a colony.
Distribution
Feeding and diet
White-striped Freetail Bats feed on flying insects above the tree canopy. They fly quickly and eat their prey as they fly.
Conservation status
White-striped Freetail Bats are vulnerable to loss of tree hollows and loss of feeding grounds by forestry activities, clearing for agriculture and housing.
