| Fossils of this species have been found in a cave in Mexico. Today their descendents are found in many habitats, everywhere from Mayan ruins to urban areas. They like to roost in crevices, and if disturbed, will crawl backwards into a deeper, narrow space. When they are roosting, the bats pack closely together and chirp to each other.
Newborn Broad-eared Free-tailed Bats are well-developed. They open their eyes, wiggle their ears, and can move about on a flat surface a few hours after birth. They weigh about 25 percent of the mother’s weight. That’s comparable to a 100-pound human female giving birth to a 25-pound baby!
Owls prey on these (and other) bats, and snakes have been known to climb palm trees to catch bats roosting in the fronds.
Head and Body: 50-64 mm; Tail: 35-48 mm
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É., 1805. Annales Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. 6:156.
Mammal Species of the World