Pocketed Free-tailed Bat

About the Pocketed Free-tailed Bat

The pocketed free-tailed bat (Nyctinomops femorosaccus) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae found in Mexico and in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States. They resemble the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis).They are recognized as "least concern" by the IUCN and as "apparently secure" by Natureserve.

The pocketed free-tailed bat shares similar features with the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) but is larger in size. The name is derived from a skin fold stretching from the medial side of the femur to the middle of the tibia. This fold produces a shallow pocket on the underside of the interfemoral membrane in the vicinity of the knee. Some defining characteristics include: Ears joined at the midline; second phalanx of the 4th digit is less than 5mm; anterior part of hard palate narrowly excised; upper incisors placed close together with longitudinal axes nearly parallel.

The pocketed free-tailed bat has a large broad head with grooved lips. The face has many stiff hairs with spoonlike tips. The ears are thick and leathery with the presence of a dominant tragus. Body dimensions: body length~112mm; feet... Wikipedia →