Beccari's Freetail Bat
Scientific name: Mormopterus beccarii
Alternative name/s:
Beccari's Mastiff Bat
Beccari's Mastiff Bat
Click to enlarge image
Male, photographed at Pine Creek N.T. Beccari's Freetail Bats roost in tree hollows and under roofs. They roost together in colonies of around 50 bats.
Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Mormopterus
- Species
- beccarii
- Family
- Molossidae
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Subclass
- Eutheria
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
Introduction
Beccari's Freetail Bats were only recognised as a separate species in the 1960s.
Habitat
Beccari's Freetail Bats roost in tree hollows and under roofs. They roost together in colonies of around 50 bats.
Distribution
Feeding and diet
Beccari's Freetail Bats eat beetles, leaf hoppers, weevils, flies, moths and grasshoppers. They fly quickly over water in a range of forest types.
Conservation status
Beccari's Freetail Bat is vulnerable to the loss of tree hollows and the loss of feeding grounds by forestry activities, clearing for agriculture and housing.
