Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat - Tadarida aegyptiaca:Egyptian Free-Tailed Bats pack themselves tightly into rock crevices. They are gregarious, occurring in colonies of dozens, and in certain areas, of hundreds. They often roost in caves during the day, which have a smell that emanates from their droppings; they also shelter in attics and in any sort of building crevice available. Bats are as clean as cats, and regularly groom themselves. Egyptian free-tailed bats eat only insects, and favour beetles and other hard-shelled species, which they hunt using echolocation. While hunting on the wing, the bat emits anything up to 250 little "beeps" a second at frequencies usually much higher than the highest tones audible to man. The female of the species give birth to a single offspring, usually in the warm, wet summer months, and maternity colonies consisting of females only are sometimes formed. SIZE: Length (including tail) 11 cm, wingspan up to 30 cm, mass 15 g. COLOUR: Dark brown, the underparts being the same colour or a little lighter, and the head and neck are nearly black. MOST LIKE: The 13 other species of free-tailed bat in southern Africa, but lacks the pale neck-yoke present in most other species of free-tailed bats. HABITAT: All types of terrain except forest, although found on the fringes of these. South Africa - Eco Travel Guides - Wildlife Guides: Travel Guides: -:- Activities & Interests -:- Regions & Areas -:- Routes -:- Maps -:- Wildlife: -:- Vertebrates: -:- Amphibians -:- Birds -:- Fish -:- Mammals -:- Reptiles -:- |