White-striped Freetail Bat

Family: Molossidae
Scientific name: Tadarida australis

Where they roost:
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.

What they eat:
Flying insects above the tree canopy. They fly quickly and eat their prey as they fly.

Conservation threats:
Vulnerable to loss of tree hollows and loss of feeding grounds by forestry activities, clearing for agriculture and housing.

Other information:
This 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.

Photo © BG Thompson