Gland-tailed free-tailed bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gland-tailed free-tailed bat |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mops
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| Species: |
bemmeleni
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| Synonyms | |
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The gland-tailed free-tailed bat (also known as Mops bemmeleni) is a fascinating type of bat. It belongs to a family of bats called Molossidae, often known as "free-tailed bats" because their tails stick out from their wing membranes. These bats love to live in warm, wet montane forests (forests on mountains), dry grassy areas called savannas, and dark caves.
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How This Bat Got Its Name
This bat was first officially described as a new species in 1879. A Dutch animal expert named Fredericus Anna Jentink gave it its scientific name. He originally placed it in a group called Nyctinomus, which is no longer used today.
The second part of its scientific name, "bemmeleni", honors another Dutch naturalist, Adriaan Anthoni van Bemmelen. He was the one who gave the first example of this bat (called a holotype) to the Leyden Museum. Jentink worked as a curator there, so he named the bat after van Bemmelen to thank him.
What Does It Look Like?
The gland-tailed free-tailed bat has fur that is dark, smoky brown on its back. Its belly fur is a lighter, yellowish brown. One interesting feature is its upper lip, which has many wrinkles.
Its ear has a very tiny, triangular part called a tragus. Male bats of this species have a special gland on their throat, called a gular gland. This gland likely produces a scent. This bat has a total of 36 teeth.
Where Do These Bats Live?
You can find the gland-tailed free-tailed bat in many countries across West and Central Africa. These include places like Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
These bats prefer to live in areas that are not too high up. They have not been seen at elevations greater than 1,700 m (5,600 ft) (about 5,577 feet) above sea level.
Protecting the Gland-Tailed Free-Tailed Bat
The IUCN (a big group that checks on animals around the world) has listed the gland-tailed free-tailed bat as a "least concern" species. This is good news!
It means that experts believe this bat is not currently in danger of disappearing. There are several reasons for this:
- It lives across a very large area.
- Its population (the number of these bats) is thought to be quite big.
- Many of the places where it lives are protected areas, like national parks.
- Scientists do not think its population is shrinking quickly.
