Little Northern Freetail Bat
Scientific name: Mormopterus loriae
Alternative name/s:
Little Northern Mastiff Bat
Little Northern Mastiff Bat
Click to enlarge image
Little Northern Freetail Bats usually roost in hollow trees and under loose bark. They also roost in the cracks of poles and in buildings. Many hundreds of them may roost together in a colony.
Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Mormopterus
- Species
- loriae
- Family
- Molossidae
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Subclass
- Eutheria
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
Introduction
The Little Northern Freetail Bat is also known as the Little Northern Mastiff Bat. The name mastiff bat refers to the dog-like jowls of this group of bats.
Habitat
Little Northern Freetail Bats usually roost in hollow trees and under loose bark. They also roost in the cracks of poles and in buildings. Many hundreds of them may roost together in a colony.
Distribution
Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia
Feeding and diet
Little Northern Freetail Bats eat insects that fly above the tree canopy and over areas of water. This is because they fly quickly and are not good at twisting and turning between trees when chasing their prey. They eat their prey as they fly.
Conservation status
Little Northern Freetail Bats are vulnerable to loss of tree hollows and loss of feeding grounds by land degradation and agricultural activities.
