European free-tailed bat
Tadarida teniotis
Manuel Ruedi · Centre-Plainpalais-Acacias
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 25–50 g, body 81–92 mm
- Diet
- Insectivore
- Status in Georgia
- Few records, uncertain
- Habitat
- Cliffs, gorges, buildings
- Family
- Molossidae
- Conservation
- DD / LC
The European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis) is a bat you can actually hear: in flight it gives a "tsick-tsick" call. The last third of its tail sticks out freely beyond the wing membrane, and large ears and wrinkled lips give it a bulldog face. It flies high, fast and in a straight line. In Georgia there are only a few records, from the Borjomi and Sachkhere municipalities, Kolkheti National Park and Kobi. It does not attack people, but like any bat, do not touch it with bare hands.
Identification
European free-tailed bat: how to identify it
A large, robust bat weighing 25–50 g. What you notice first are the large, broad ears and wrinkled lips, which have earned it the name bulldog bat. The tip of its thick tail sticks out freely beyond the membrane. The fur is short and soft, and the ears and wings are black.
The body is 81–92 mm long, the tail 48–56 mm, and it weighs 25–50 g. The tail alone is more than half the length of the body.
The ears are large and broad, with a very small tragus. The lips are wrinkled, which gives the muzzle a dog-like look. That is why in English it is also called the bulldog bat or the mastiff bat.
The tail is thick and fleshy, and its last third is not attached to any membrane. Such a free tail is a mark of its family, Molossidae. The English name, free-tailed bat, refers to exactly this tail.
Colour
The fur is very short and soft, from brownish-grey to smoky black, with a brownish sheen on the back. The belly is slightly paler. The ears, muzzle and the wing and tail membranes are black or blackish grey. Young animals are paler than adults.
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
The European free-tailed bat is a bat of cliffs: it lives mainly in mountainous terrain and on coastal cliffs. It spends the day in rock crevices, gorges, under overhangs and in caves. It also shelters in holes in tall buildings, under roof tiles and under stone bridges. In winter it hides in caves and rock crevices. In Georgia there are only a few records, from 2004–2021. It is known from Borjomi Municipality (Sakire, Bakurianis Andeziti), Sachkhere Municipality (the Jvari pass), Kolkheti National Park and Kobi. These are single sightings, not a sign that it lives throughout these areas.
The European free-tailed bat eats insects and catches them in flight. It hunts high, usually 10–50 m above the ground. It rarely drinks: when it needs to, it swoops low and skims water from a pond or river in flight.
It emerges at dusk and flies high, fast and in a straight line, without the sharp turns typical of many bats. Before leaving the roost it makes a rattling sound, and in flight a "tsick-tsick" call that lets you identify it by ear. Colonies usually hold 5–100 animals, and colonies of 300–400 are known, though it often lives alone. Pregnancy lasts about 80 days, and the female usually gives birth to a single young in a dark, hidden place. The pup's eyes open after a week, it starts flying at four weeks and is independent at seven weeks. It matures at one year and lives about 10 years.
Globally the European free-tailed bat is not threatened (LC, 2016), although its population trend is unknown. In Georgia the 2021 national assessment rates it Data Deficient (DD): its presence in the country is still considered uncertain, and its trend is unknown. Its threats are pesticides, deforestation, the loss of roosts in buildings and possibly collisions with wind turbines. None of these is considered particularly serious. In suitable habitat it is a common species.
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Yes, but it is known from only a few records. In 2004–2021 it was found in the Borjomi and Sachkhere municipalities and in Kolkheti National Park, and there is also a record from Kobi. Its first record was published in 2017, so its status in the country is still unclear.
It is a large bat of 25–50 g with large, broad ears and wrinkled, bulldog-like lips. The last third of the tail sticks out freely beyond the wing membrane. The fur is short, from brownish-grey to almost black. Do not pick it up to check: that is a job for a specialist.
Yes. In flight it gives a "tsick-tsick" call, and before leaving the roost a rattling sound. These sounds let you identify it by ear.
Insects, which it catches in flight, usually 10–50 m above the ground. It rarely drinks. When it needs to, it swoops low and skims water from a pond or river in flight.
Not if you leave it alone. It does not attack people. But any bat can transmit rabies, and its bite is easy to miss. So do not touch it with bare hands. After a bite or scratch, wash the spot with soap and water and see a doctor; in an emergency, call 112.
Not globally: it is Least Concern (LC, 2016). In Georgia the 2021 assessment rates it Data Deficient (DD), because its presence and numbers in the country are still unclear. Its threats are pesticides, the loss of roosts in buildings and wind turbines.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
