Lappet-eared free-tailed bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lappet-eared free-tailed bat |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Molossidae |
| Genus: | Mops |
| Species: |
M. major
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| Binomial name | |
| Mops major (Trouessart, 1897)
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| Synonyms | |
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The lappet-eared free-tailed bat (Mops major) is a type of bat that belongs to the Molossidae family. You can find this bat in many countries across Africa. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. It naturally lives in dry and moist savanna areas.
About the Lappet-eared Free-tailed Bat
How it Got Its Name
This bat was first officially described in 1897. A French zoologist named Édouard Louis Trouessart gave it its scientific name. He first thought it was a type of subspecies of the little free-tailed bat.
The bat's species name, "major", comes from an old English word meaning "greater." Trouessart likely chose this name because the bat is much bigger than the little free-tailed bat. Another scientist, George Edward Dobson, had noted this size difference earlier.
The very first bat specimen used to describe this species was found in Egypt. It was collected by Francis Galton during his travels.
What It Looks Like
The lappet-eared free-tailed bat looks a lot like the little free-tailed bat. However, it is quite a bit larger. It has very short, dark brown fur. The fur on its back is darker than the fur on its belly. Its wings, which are its flight membranes, are a whitish color.
 | Jessica Watkins |
 | Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. |
 | Mae Jemison |
 | Sian Proctor |
 | Guion Bluford |
